


Run Free

by NympheSama



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Bonding, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Gay Sex, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Miscommunication, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Oral Sex, Past Relationship (Jack), Sex, Supernatural Elements, Threesome - M/M/M, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolf/Omegaverse combination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25218271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NympheSama/pseuds/NympheSama
Summary: A pack of Wolves; looking to escape for the full moon.A lost soul; trapped and alone.When one of the pack rescues that lonely soul; they soon come to realise that they've found something much, much more important to them... than just another Wolf.
Relationships: Athena/Janey Springs, Axton/Maya (Borderlands), Handsome Jack/Timothy Lawrence/Rhys (mentioned), Timothy Lawrence/Rhys/Vaughn
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	Run Free

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hello!
> 
> This was my Halloween fic last year and I was just really curious if I could switch this over to Borderlands fandom  
> I hope you all enjoy!  
> It's kind of a twist on Omegaverse/Werewolf themes so, it's a little different!
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Run Free**

The late evening air was tense, thick with anticipation. A figure stood by a broken window, taut with restless energy which threatened to consume them at any moment. “Can we go..?” The whisper was as tense as the stiff postured figure, their arms curling around their own shoulders, nails scratching across the skin of their shoulder as they stared out the window; and waited.

“Soon.” Came the rumbling reply, the deep voice washing over the tense figure like a soothing balm. A faint whine erupted from their throat, followed by a sigh, when warm hands covered their own and stilled their restless scratching. “It isn’t safe yet… give it a couple more minutes. We won’t miss it, you know that.” The voice drawled in their ear, warm breath tickling their throat before a tongue dragged itself slowly over the skin and caused them to shiver for reasons which were nothing to do with their waiting.

“Can’t we just… go quietly?” They pleaded, offering their throat without hesitation when strong arms encircled them, their heart fluttering at the nose which scented along the area with obvious want and need. “Please? We can be sneaky…” they pleaded lowly, yelping and dropping their head forward in repentance when they received a sharp nip to the back of their neck in response.

“You know damn well this lot aren’t capable of sneaking anywhere, even when their lives depend on it.” The voice drawled lowly, the barest hint of amusement rumbling beneath the warning in their tone. “Another minute.” They insisted, hands drawing back to curl around their shoulders and turn them away from the window. “Go get them ready… I’ll wait by the entrance.” They murmured, foreheads briefly butting as an eager purr emanated from the restless waiter’s chest.

The minute passed; and true to their promise, the deep voice had been waiting, ready to lead them all into the darkness of the dangerous world outside their broken windows. They dodged through the abandoned streets silently, weaving around trash cans and jumping over fences without ever slowing their pace; until one of them stopped quite abruptly. “What the hell do you think you're playing at?” Hissed the deep voice, as the restless whiner cocked their head and frowned, twisting this way and that as they tried to pinpoint something they’d heard.

“I heard something… it sounds like crying.” They whispered back, twisting out of reach of the deep voice and hunching their shoulders at the low growl of warning they received at the action. “Please… I can’t just… please don’t try to make me ignore it…” they pleaded, whining quietly; though wisely keeping their distance. “Let me just… let me see if I can help, _please_?” They begged, lowering their eyes to the ground and quivering as the urge to flee warred with their desire to obey.

The deep voice huffed irritably, the figure glancing around and running a hand through their hair before they sighed. “... _fine_ . Fifteen minutes.” They bit out roughly, the threat clear in their tone as the restless whiner purred contently and hurried over to nuzzle them gratefully. “We’ll be waiting by the bridge. _Don’t_ be late.” They growled, their lips demanding as they claimed a rough kiss, before disappearing off at a hasty jog with the others.

Without wasting a second, the restless whiner raced in the opposite direction, twisting carefully through alleys which were unfamiliar and finally slowing in a much nicer part of the city than they were used to. They looked around in the darkness, searching as they listened intently; finally picking up the sound which they’d first caught and trotting towards a small bungalow. They sniffed carefully at a window, their head cocking when they picked up a scent which was both familiar and not, sparking their curiosity and something which they were unable to pinpoint. Pushing the strange thoughts and reactions aside, they carefully gripped the window and raised it over their head; silently slipping into a small living room and pausing to listen intently. Combined with the stronger scent inside the building, they followed the sounds to a door in the kitchen; frowning at the multitude of padlocks and sliding them open, before slowly walking down the stairs. “Hello..?” They whispered, certain the weeper would hear them.

Sure enough, upon their speaking; the sounds of crying ceased, replaced by a tense silence which could be cut with a knife. “... who are you? Wh-what are you doing here?” A timid voice replied, a tremor in their tone which made the restless whiner grit their teeth with frustration. 

“A friend.” They murmured back, looking around the small basement with a sneer and shaking their head as they slowly made their way towards the hidden crier. “How did you get here?” They called quietly, blinking as they caught sight of a ratty mattress corner, slowly stepping closer to see a huddled body at the far corner. The huddled crier whined quietly, hugging themselves tighter and slamming their eyes shut as their breath quickened, fearful as the restless whiner approached and then hesitated, before kneeling at the edge of the mattress. “Okay, let’s start with something a little easier…” they said warmly, leaning on their elbows and smiling in encouragement. “My name is Rhys; what’s yours?” 

The huddle peeled their eyes open slowly, gazing over at Rhys uncertainly, before uncurling slightly and sniffing tentatively. “Y-you’re a..?” They asked curiously, blinking in surprise as they unconsciously began to scent the air more persistently, as Rhys chuckled and smiled.

“An Omega Wolf, yes… just like you, huh?” Rhys replied, cocking his head as he held out his hand and offered his wrist for the huddle to scent properly. “What’s your name?” He repeated, purring softly to try and alleviate the fear which seemed to cling to the other Omega’s scent.

The huddle bit their lip, glancing at the stairs which led out of the basement longingly. “V-Vaughn…” he finally replied, licking his lips as his eyes darted between the exit and Rhys worriedly. “You should leave… before he wakes up.” He whispered, shaking his head as he hugged his knees tightly again, his shaggy hair and unkempt beard jostling with the action.

“How did uh, ‘he’ catch you?” Rhys asked, examining Vaughn with open curiosity and concern. He bit his lip, before slowly climbing onto the mattress and approaching the other Omega, hesitantly laying his hand over Vaughn’s and squeezing gently.

Vaughn whined, immediately tensing and staring at the stairs fearfully. Several tense seconds passed, but when no sound pierced the air, he blew out a relieved breath and looked over at Rhys. “You should really go…” he whispered urgently, reaching to push at Rhys' shoulders gently. “Please… I don’t want him to hurt you, to hurt anyone because of me.” He pleaded, his big hazel eyes pleading as Rhys chuffed sympathetically and nuzzled closer to the other Omega.

For a long pause, Rhys remained silent, trying his best to quell Vaughn’s obvious fear and offer him comfort. As his limited time grew rapidly shorter however, he began to murmur to him lowly. “ _When darkness falls, leaving shadows in the night…”_ He whispered, offering warmth and support to the mistreated Omega. _“Don't be afraid, wipe that fear from your eyes._ ” He continued, his voice reassuring and warm as he allowed Vaughn to lean against his side and take comfort from his scent. “ _The desperate love, keeps on driving you wrong…”_ He promised lowly, turning his head and looking down at the other Omega sadly, drawing in a deep breath to try and calm his rising sense of familiarity; of kinship he felt toward the other Omega, knowing he shouldn’t get either of their hopes up before he spoke with his mate. _“Don't be afraid... you're not alone.”_ He murmured, smiling down at Vaughn when he glanced up sharply and lifting his chin; baring his throat and revealing the clear scars of a too tight collar. “... I was kept like this. Like a pet.” He explained, gesturing to the collar which Vaughn had tried to keep hidden from him. “But then; a pack found me… rescued me; _freed_ me. We leave the city for the full moon and come back when it’s passed… live normal lives the rest of the month. Nobody knows who or what we are.” He said, wrapping his arm around Vaughn’s shoulders and squeezing gently as Vaughn hesitantly leaned into his side. “We _aren’t_ what Humans say we are.” He said gently but firmly, resting his forehead to Vaughn’s softly.

“ _You can run with us…”_ Rhys offered, as Vaughn jerked back and looked up at him in surprise, undeniable longing in his gaze as Rhys smiled reassuringly. “ _We've got everything you need.”_ He promised, as Vaughn bit his lip and glanced uncertainly at the stairs. “ _Run with us,”_ he urged, his eyes brightening as he slid his hand from Vaughn’s shoulder to his hand and squeezed encouragingly. _“We are free.”_ He whispered, as Vaughn’s breath caught at the seemingly unbelievable feat. _“Come with us,”_ Rhys pleaded, a faint whine in his voice as Vaughn lowered his head and bit his lip in uncertainty. “ _I see passion in your eyes…_ ” Rhys insisted, ducking his head to meet Vaughn’s hesitant gaze; though the warm orbs were tinged with more hope than he clearly dared to voice. _“Run with us.”_ He repeated, nuzzling Vaughn fondly and nipping at his ear tender playfulness.

“I-I can’t…” Vaughn said slowly, exhaling a deep breath as he looked back at Rhys longingly. “It’s not that I don’t want to… that I don’t appreciate you coming here, finding me… It-it’s good to know that I’m- I’m not alone. That there’s others who- who don’t attack or bite Humans... But, I can’t-” he swallowed heavily, dropping his head into his palms as he curled in on himself and whined quietly.

“Hey, it’s okay…” Rhys shushed gently, nuzzling at Vaughn’s shoulder affectionately and hesitantly reaching towards the collar he wore. “Please, don’t ask me to leave you here. Come with me… we’ll protect you, keep you safe. We look out for each other; that’s what _pack_ is. None of us have ever hurt a Human, I promise.” He swore, checking his watch and biting his lip when he saw he had only three minutes remaining. “Please… let me take this off. Let me get you away from all _this;_ and show you how things _can_ be.” He pleaded, whining softly as his fingers curled around Vaughn’s collar; though he didn’t try to open it without permission.

“I-” Vaughn hesitated, his breath catching as he lifted tormented eyes to Rhys'. A second passed. Ten seconds. Twenty. Finally, Vaughn bit his lip and nuzzled Rhys cautiously. “Y-you’ll make sure? That I… that I don’t hurt anyone? A Human?” He asked, as Rhys smiled broadly, his relief and joy palpable around them as he licked Vaughn’s brow gently. 

“I promise…” he breathed, butting his head affectionately against Vaughn’s as he chuffed happily in his throat. “But, I also promise… that we won’t _have_ to.” He said, grinning as Vaughn lowered his eyes and aimed a shy smile towards his feet.

Vaughn hummed contently, closing his eyes as he exhaled a shaky breath and slowly tipped his head back, exposing his throat and allowing Rhys to quickly unbuckle the collar which had subdued his connection with the rising full moon. “Hmm…” he sighed, as Rhys tossed the collar lightly to the mattress, snorting at it with a sneer, before lifting his hopeful eyes to Vaughn and offering his hand, a lopsided grin quirking his lips as he raised a hopeful brow.

“Ready?” He whispered, as Vaughn nodded and slowly slid his hand into Rhys'; yelping in surprise when Rhys launched them forward from the bed and dragged him up the stairs, leaping over the landing and hurrying to the window he’d left open. “You’re gonna feel a sudden rush when you get outside, okay? Don’t be scared… I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He said quietly, rubbing Vaughn’s shoulder with his free hand and grinning as he gestured towards the window with encouragement.

Vaughn nodded and took a deep breath, turning to eye the window dubiously, before shuffling closer and carefully clambering through. His breath caught as his feet set gently onto the ground, peering up at the almost risen moon in awe as he felt the pleasant pull within his chest. “Oh…” he sighed, blinking as he rubbed at his chest absently, almost not noticing Rhys when he slipped through the window after him and grinned, taking his hand and gently tugging him away from the bungalow; away from the life of chains and restraint which he’d known and toward a life of freedom and care. Of _pack._

Rhys led Vaughn swiftly through the alley’s he’d taken to find him, leaping lightly onto a wall and darting along the top with Vaughn’s hand in his own; half dragging him toward the bridge where he knew his pack were waiting for him. His heart soared as they broke free of the city, dropping down to a low crouch behind the hedges to keep out of sight, though their rapid pace never decreased. He panicked for a brief heartbeat when they reached the bridge, barely panting as they looked around eagerly and found themselves alone; a deep whine escaping his throat at the thought that his pack, his _mate_ would have gone on without him.

“I said, _fifteen minutes,_ Rhys.” A deep growl rumbled from the shadows, as Rhys instinctively bared his throat for his mate, squeezing Vaughn’s hand encouragingly when he hesitated, before copying his action. “What the hell is _this_?” His mate demanded, the Alpha stalking toward them from between the trees with an irritated scowl as he looked Vaughn over with a negligent glance, before turning to Rhys and scenting his throat excessively. 

Rhys purred contently, nuzzling at his mate with affectionate apology. “I couldn’t leave him…” he whispered pleadingly, his brow butting against his mate’s cheek fondly. “He needs pack; needs _us._ Nobody should be chained and subdued, cut off from the moon like that...” He explained, licking his lovers throat gently and kissing the area liberally. “Please, Tim… let him stay with us. He’s never run before… he was collared-”

Tim’s pained hiss drew Rhys to a halt, lowering his eyes guiltily as his mates distress permeated the air around them. “... I’ll never forgive those psycho bastards for hurting you.” He growled quietly, his temper simmering as he drew Rhys close and buried his face in the side of his throat, inhaling deeply to reassure himself that his mate was unharmed.

“Tim…” Rhys murmured reassuringly, pretending not to notice the way Tim’s lips lingered against the scars which littered his throat. “It wasn’t your fault… you saved me; and the love you give me every day is more than enough to wash away everything that happened in the past. More importantly, _you_ saving _me_? Well, that meant that I was able to return the favour today.” He said, sighing contently and half turning as he tugged on Vaughn’s hand and drew him closer, despite Vaughn’s hesitance and his downcast eyes. “Tim, this is Vaughn.” He said, leaning back and butting his forehead to Tim’s briefly, before drawing Vaughn closer and nudging his cheek with his chin. “It’s okay…” he whispered to the other Omega, as he swallowed and refused to lift his eyes from the ground.

Tim huffed and rolled his eyes when Rhys turned an irritated look towards him, bristling that his new Omega friend was so clearly unsettled in his mates presence and blatantly blaming Tim for his temper and his radiating hostility. He chuffed at his mate reproachfully, leaning closer against Vaughn’s side and squeezing his hand as Tim sighed and ran his hand through his shaggy, sandy brown hair. “Look, I’m sorry if I made you nervous, okay?” The Alpha offered half heartedly, peering at Rhys with a raised brow which clearly asked if his half assed apology was enough. When Rhys pointedly turned his back and ignored him, Tim scowled and growled lowly, before clearing his throat and trying again. “I was worried about my idiot other half. I’m sorry if I uh, made you feel unwelcome.” He said, warming slightly when Vaughn peeked up from beneath his long lashes. “There’s always room in the pack for one more.” He said quietly, grinning when he heard Rhys' telltale purr which meant he had done right and had been forgiven.

Vaughn bit his lip, glancing at Rhys; and at his nod of encouragement, bared his throat to the other Wolf. “T-Rhys said…” he stammered, his heart fluttering as Tim stepped closer with a brow raised at his mates curious behaviour, tentatively scenting at the new Omega’s throat. “H-he said you don’t hurt people… that you, you live normal lives.” He forced out, as Tim hummed and glanced at his mate with a small frown. “I… I’d like to stay with people like that. I… I never felt the moon before,” he whispered, turning his eyes up to the almost risen full moon and sighing with relief, with hope and with a contentment which he had never felt in his heart before. “The collar would- Oh, but… It’s so… _beautiful_.” He murmured haltingly, his breath catching and his eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, as Tim indiscreetly scented him again.

“Hmm…” he hummed thoughtfully, drawing back and peering at the newcomer intently for a long pause, before turning to his mate and tugging him into a one armed embrace; seeming resigned to the fact that Rhys wouldn’t be releasing Vaughn any time soon. “Well, it’s almost time. Others are just up ahead. I didn’t want them waiting out in the open.” He said, tipping his head toward the trees he’d emerged from and leading the Omega’s through the dense foliage to a clearing; where Vaughn gasped at the sight of such a huge pack. His eyes roved in open awe over the various other pack members, blushing faintly and ducking his head submissively when they looked over in surprise. 

"Oh my..!" A female Beta gasped, her short brown hair spiked delicately upon her head as she loped gracefully towards them, her fingers causing Vaughn to flinch fearfully when they immediately reached for his throat. "Oh, why I…" she huffed, pausing as Vaughn stood with his shoulders hunched, leaning unconsciously into Rhys' side.

"It's okay, Tannis… he's just a little jumpy still." Rhys said, squeezing Vaughn's hand and nuzzling his cheek gently. "Patricia prefers to be called Tannis… she’s a doctor; and she just wants to help. I promise… nobody here will hurt you." He whispered in the other Omega's ear, licking his cheek in a brief show of comfort, reassurance and affection.

Vaughn opened his eyes to peek up at Rhys, encouraged by the gentle bat of his forehead and his warm smile. He sucked in a deep shuddering breath, and slowly lifted his head, exposing his throat to the Beta while gripping Rhys' hand tightly. "Oh… if I ever see whatever pitiful excuse of a Human did this to you, I'm gonna stick their ass with the biggest needle known to any species. Ever." Tannis grumbled as her fingers softly explored Vaughn's throat.

Vaughn whined softly, glancing to Rhys uncertainly and worrying his lip between his teeth; though he kept his throat exposed to the unfamiliar Beta, allowing her to apply a small poultice she'd produced from a tiny purse which was draped over her torso. "Tannis is all bark." Rhys assured, trading a fond look with the brunette as she chuffed at him and wrinkled her nose. "She's our mother hen. She always brings poultice for us, in case we run into poison ivy or something… again, in _some_ cases." He said, his dark blue eyes glittering with amusement as he slyly looked over to a large, muscular Beta on the other side of the clearing. "Right, Brick?" He snickered, watching with a grin as the large, bulky Beta slowly rose from a rock he'd been sitting from; ignorant of Vaughn's flaring distress as he cracked the knuckles of one hand and narrowed his eyes at the unaffected redhead.

"Rhys," the broad shouldered Beta rumbled, as Vaughn gripped the redheads hand tightly and whined nervously. "Slab, you're _such_ a wind up merchant…" the large complained, rolling his eyes and sighing with exasperation; the entire atmosphere of potential hostility disappearing as Rhys laughed and moved closer, slapping his palm to the giant Beta's with a happy chuff.

"Like I'd ever miss a chance to rib you," Rhys snickered fondly, bumping his shoulder to Brick's affectionately. "You know it's my only way of showing how much I care." He huffed, grinning as Brick snorted and grinned himself, throwing a curious glance at Vaughn and offering him a lopsided grin as welcome.

"Chyeah bro," Brick huffed, rolling his eyes as they clapped their palms together again briefly, before the large Beta turned and walked back to his rock. "One day though, I'm just gonna pick your lame ass up and stick you in a damn tree. Time out for the Omega." He said, snickering when an exasperated girl with a small hat and short hair swatted his arm for the comment.

Vaughn watched the entire exchange with rapt fascination, swallowing heavily as his fears proved themselves to be unfounded. He shivered, shaking out the tension from his shoulders as he finally sucked in a deep breath and relaxed, glancing up at Tannis as she purred at him warmly, smiling as she finally removed her fingers from his throat. "He's big and he looks tough, but he's a softie really." She whispered, winking as she stepped back and squeezed his shoulder gently. "That should help, but let me know if it hurts at all and I'll put some more poultice on for you." She said warmly, turning at the gentle touch of a mocha hand on her shoulder.

"I think you guys need to lay off on the animosity for a bit guys, however playful." Said a dark toned Alpha, frowning between Rhys and Brick disapprovingly. "He's already freaked out enough, he doesn't understand how pack dynamics work." He explained, his shoulders tensing at the warning growl which rippled across the clearing.

"He's better off getting used to it, Sargent Buzzkill." Tim rebuked, his eyes hard as they locked onto the other male. "If you try and baby him, he'll never understand pack humour. _Family_." He coming to a halt beside Rhys and nuzzling him briefly, before returning his attention to the other Alpha.

"You can't drop him in at the deep end and just expect him to-!" the other male argued, before biting off his further comments, glancing at Vaughn and noting his hunched shoulders and his lowered eyes. The Alpha sighed, running a hand over his short cropped hair and glaring across the clearing at Tim; as Rhys ignored them both and made soft sounds of reassurance for the other, clearly distressed Omega. “Alright… fine, _you_ know best.” He sneered, as Tim gave a low growl of warning and narrowed his eyes at him.

“Ah, TimTam! Rhysie!” A tall, white haired man yawned from where he’d been sleeping on the ground, stretching as he pushed to his feet and looked around with a tired grin. “Aye, I can feel the call boy's... what’s the hold up?” He asked, idly scratching at his rounded belly as he looked around the rest of the pack curiously; his eyes widening comically when he saw the newcomer stood beside Rhys. "Ah! Ya found a new mouth for me to feed! Ey, little fella _you_ are just gonna _love_ the next meal ya eat…” He said warmly, grinning broadly as he shook out his wild, curly hair.

“That’s Zane,” Rhys said quietly, easing Vaughn’s tension from the stand off between the Alpha’s with a soft tone and clear amusement. “He likes to party and to feed people… so regardless of what you think or feel in the future, you’re going to have a full plate sat in front of you every three times a day; and a sulky ass Beta to deal with if you don’t eagerly lick it clean.” He teased with a chuckle, nuzzling Vaughn and nipping his ear playfully. The man laughed but said nothing to dissuade Rhys' barb; and Vaughn blanched at the thought of being fed so regularly, as the Beta turned and began to banter with Brick behind him.

Vaughn found himself frowning, his eyes flitting between Brick, Zane and the female with them; blinking in surprise when he tentatively sniffed in their direction and picked up the scent of an Alpha. “That’s Fiona,” Rhys whispered, noticing Vaughn’s curious gaze and the confusion which caused his brow to furrow. “She can seem pretty prickly, but she’s fiercely loyal and she would sooner die than let anything happen to us all… I’m not entirely sure what she gets out of hanging around with Brick and Zane, but I’m guessing it makes her happy, so it’s all good in my book.” He continued to ramble, shrugging a shoulder negligently as he turned with his head cocked towards the brunette who had tended Vaughn’s throat. He followed his gaze, immediately ducking his head again when he caught sight of the strong Alpha who’d been so furious. “That’s Roland… he and Tim butt heads like there’s no tomorrow, but they would do anything to protect each other. They think we all buy their whole 'we hate each other' routine, but we know the truth." He murmured over the vague hiss of Tannis scolding the dark toned Alpha.

"Dude, I'm not a total recluse…" Vaughn muttered petulantly, peeking up at Rhys' surprised raised brow. "I know who Roland is… he's kinda hard to miss on TV." He whispered snarkily, nipping at Rhys' finger in exasperation as the redhead beamed at him. "I just… I'm not used to, to all the-"

"I think he's trying to tell you that he isn't used to all the Alpha energies." Giggled a new voice, as a girl with semi-long blonde hair carefully approached, waving cheerfully as she smiled at Vaughn warmly. "Hi, I'm Janey… I was wondering if you-"

Vaughn's eyes widened in alarm, his eyes swinging to Rhys accusingly as a small whine built in his throat. Janey faltered, her smile falling as she looked down at the floor shamefully, biting her lip as her eyes turned watery. "Janey, just give me a second sweetie." Rhys said quietly, reaching to rub her shoulder gently; only for her to flinch away with a disjointed nod, quickly turning and crossing the clearing to stand alone with her arms around herself in comfort. "Well, that could have gone better…" Rhys sighed, turning back to Vaughn with a small frown. "You realise she thinks you hate her now? That you reject her?" He said reproachfully, the first time he'd used anything but calm reassurance in his tone.

"Don't pin her hurt feelings on me," Vaughn insisted, wrinkling his nose as he eyed Rhys distrustfully. "You said, you _promised_ you don't bite Humans." He said, jabbing an accusatory finger in Janey's direction as another Alpha with short brown hair, walked over and wrapped her arms around her. As the Beta turned, Vaughn noticed she was scarred; and pretty significantly, all down one side of her throat. "That _kind of_ makes you a liar..!" He hissed, tugging at his hand to try and pull free of Rhys' hold.

“I said we never _hurt_ a Human; and _that_ is one hundred percent true.” Rhys hissed, looking away as he allowed Vaughn a moment of disgruntled tugging, before moving closer and baring his teeth at the other Omega in a low growl of warning, his eyes narrowed as they flit between the upset Janey and Vaughn's shocked face. "Janey was _dying._ She was attacked..." He said bluntly, gazing over at her sadly as Vaughn ceased struggling, cocking his head in confusion as Rhys looked back at him. "The Humans couldn't do anything… they told her there was nothing they could do. That she would die." He explained, as Vaughn's tense shoulders eased and his distrustful grimace began to smooth itself into a curious gaze. "Janey… asked me to turn her." Rhys said, swallowing thickly as he remembered their history. "I had a janitorial job, at the hospital... and she knew what I was from the moment I met her; and I knew from her scent what she was fading fast. It had only been a few hours at that point… still, she trusted me. But I-" he said, shaking his head with a regretful sigh.

"But, an Omega's bite can't turn Humans…" Vaughn mumbled, peeking over at Rhys with a faint frown, before looking over at Janey sadly, who was now nuzzling affectionately at the other Alpha. "So you asked for help..?" He guessed, looking back at Rhys with an uncertain tilt to his brow.

"I couldn't let her die." Rhys said quietly, releasing Vaughn's hand at last as he curled his arms around himself. "It went against everything the pack believed at the time… but, I just- I couldn't…" he said, drawing in a shaky breath as he turned to look at Vaughn with his jaw locked solid. "I stand by convincing them it was the right thing; for her and for the pack." He said firmly, though the faint tremor in his lip gave away his distress.

Vaughn sighed, reaching to scratch at his ear absently as he looked back over at Janey thoughtfully. "I'm… I'm sorry," he said hesitantly, biting his lip as he glanced at Tim; who had been watching his exchange with Rhys intently, though he did not interject, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly at the apology. "I was just so… part of why I agreed to come with you, was 'cause of your promise… that you didn't bite Humans. It, it seemed like that was a lie, like I was maybe better off; like it was safer for me to be-" he tried to explain, reaching for Rhys' elbow hesitantly and lowering his eyes submissively.

"Vaughn," Rhys sighed, turning towards him and taking his hands with a small smile. "It's okay. I understand, you know…" he said, raising a brow as he lifted his chin, revealing the scars which littered the soft flesh. "I should have told you before I brought you to meet everyone." He said, biting his lip as he glanced across the clearing. "But… while we actually, happen to be on the subject, there's someone else here who was, uh... bitten." He admitted with a guilty shuffle, lowering his eyes as Vaughn blinked in surprise.

The new Omega drew in a deep breath, glancing away and frowning as he swallowed heavily, considering the confession as Rhys waited tensely. "... so, what happened?" He asked at length, slowly looking back at Rhys' surprised but hopeful gaze. "There were… extenuating circumstances for Janey. I'm guessing there's something similar for this other..?" He hedged, as Rhys hummed thoughtfully, a small but uncertain smile flickering at the corner of his lips. 

"Nothing quite so severe but, I still consider it to be a pretty damn good reason…" he said, biting his lip and clearing his throat as he gestured across the clearing to a short Beta with blue streaks in her hair, who was in the arms of another Beta. "Love is worth any kind of sacrifice." He said, sighing contently as he watched the pair trade soft whispers and gentle gestures of affection. "Axton fell in love with Maya almost instantly; and he didn't care in the least when she told him what she was… but, Axton was ashamed." He explained quietly, stepping closer to Vaughn and dropping his voice an octave lower. "His father, is Harold Tassiter. Chief Wolf Hunter and inventor of such wonderful devices as the suppressor collars you and I were so lucky to experience." He huffed, the hint of a growl in his tone as he shook his head to clear his whatever dark memories tried to haunt him, until Vaughn squeezed his hands and nuzzled him consolingly. "Axton tried to put distance between them, to push her away… shortly after that, he and I got to talking; and I called him an asshole. It was… I suggested he consider the bite. Said I would talk to Jack, our leading Alpha at the time, who laughed and teased me about it endlessly for the next few… well, months, but… he ultimately agreed." He said, drawing in a shaky breath as he looked around his pack, his _family_ and smiled softly. "We would _love_ to have you, Vaughn… I hope you won't hold it against me, that I helped my friends to have better lives."

Vaughn sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he watched the sandy haired Beta fuss over his mate, his eyes drifting towards where Janey and her Alpha were now laughing quietly together. "I think… I can probably live with that." He finally huffed, a sly grin curling his lip as Rhys yelped and pulled him into a tight embrace, nuzzling and licking his cheek in excited affection as he began to laugh. "Hey! C'mon, no licking!" He snickered, shaking his head and wiping his cheek on his shoulder as Rhys purred contently, turning to Tim with a beaming grin as his mate nudged him playfully; the rest of the pack joining them slowly and forming a tight ring around them. "Hey," he said abruptly, reaching for Janey's hand and squeezing gently. "I'm sorry I reacted badly, I was an ass…" he continued, lowering his eyes shamefully and bowing his head in submission. "I hope you can forgi-"

"Aw," Janey interrupted quietly, butting her head to his fondly. "It's alright, little guy... I get it. I hope you don't judge me too harshly for choosing to turn…" she said, biting her lip nervously as Vaughn shook his head vehemently.

"No," Vaughn assured, nuzzling with the redhead affectionately. "I think… I think you made a brave choice. _Both_ of you." He said, looking to Axton as well, who gave a grin and a coy wink in acceptance of the apology. "I kinda think, I'd be proud to call you guys… _pack_." He said, laughing as Rhys whined and yipped excitedly, bouncing restlessly as he nuzzled at everyone within range.

"C'mon, ya bunch of dorks." The Alpha female, Fiona huffed, shivering as she broke away from the affectionate bundle. "It's time…" she said, the group turning to the sky as one, a collective sigh running through them as the moon reached its peak.

"Wh-what..? Oh...” Vaughn stammered, his breath quickening as an unfamiliar energy coiled within his chest, a deep warmth spreading through him as Rhys' fingers interlaced with his own, the brunet grinning goofily as he closed his eyes and knocked his forehead to Tim's. "Wh-what happens now..?" He breathed, joining Rhys' content purr as the sense of family, of _pack_ settled within him.

"Now?" Rhys hummed dazedly, purring as he kissed Tim sweetly, before turning back to Vaughn with a dopey grin. "Now we _run_..!" He breathed, as Brick whooped loudly, high fiving with both Zane and Roland; before scooping up Fiona's hand and leading her into the trees at a fast jog.

Janey giggled as her mate kissed her cheek, before leading her with a sly grin towards the trees. Axton bowed playfully before Maya, his lips curving into a cocky grin as her hand slid into his and they loped gracefully into the trees after the others.

Tim and Rhys exchanged tender nuzzles, before the rest of the pack moved as one; leading Vaughn into his new life as a part of their family, to run with the full moon overhead, amid the trees and the nature which filled them with joy.

***~*~*~*~***

Eight months later, the pack was laughing as they bounded through the trees; weaving, leaping and soaring over and around branches with practiced ease. “Eat my dust, Fi!” Brick hollered, cheering himself as he braced both arms on a high branch and propelled himself forward with a phenomenal burst of strength. He whooped as he leaped forward and grabbed a vine, swinging forward to the next branch and launching himself further into the dense trees.

“ _Pfft_ , like you could ever get ahead of me, loser.” Fiona sneered, though her eyes sparkled with joy and eagerness at her mates teasing. She darted along the branch like a dancing leaf on the breeze, sleek and speedy where Brick was all muscle and bulk. She leaped from the end of the branch, soaring gracefully through the air just ahead of Brick; throwing him a cocky wink and a smirk as he blinked in surprise, before quickly dashing along the new branch she landed on and disappearing from his sight.

Vaughn watched as he ran along the ground, his heart filled with awe and excitement, eager to try the amazing and speedy acrobatics; but still building his nerve for the day when he finally felt ready. “You’ll be there before you know it.” Rhys' voice assured from beside him, his amusement clear in his giddy tone. “You’ve already come so far!” The redhead continued, as Vaughn glanced over with a lopsided smile, dodging out of the way of a tree without even thinking about it; thrilled that his reflexes were developing with every day that he was collar free.

“It’s so amazing...” he sighed, closing his eyes and weaving between Roland and Tim as they raced past him, goading and taunting each other as they charged thoughtlessly through the increasingly thick foliage. “I can’t believe I spent so long not feeling this...” he said, snorting as he opened his eyes and turned towards Rhys, who smiled broadly as he took his hand.

“Never again, bro.” He promised, winking as he squeezed Vaughn’s hand, before pulling free to charge ahead with a great whoop. “Ha _ha!_ Catch me if you can, Vaughn!” He teased, as Vaughn growled and increased his speed and surged after his friend, determined to do exactly what he’d been told.

Three hours later they returned to the rough camp they’d established for the pack, breathing heavily as they all traded teasing barbs and affectionate ruffles; exchanging brief embraces before parting ways. “Alright, ya limey bastards!” Zane huffed as he immediately trotted to a campfire he’d prepared before they left to run with the moon. “Who’s up for a _Zane Show_ , tonight?!” He asked, as Brick, Fiona and Roland cheered eagerly.

“Zane, you live for parties...” Tannis sighed, rubbing her temples as she rolled her eyes wearily. “Do you not _ever_ get tired-“

“I’m gonna go ahead and stop you right there, Tannis,” Rhys snickered, sauntering past her as he ambled over to meet his waiting mate. “Because we _all_ already know the answer is _no_. No, Zane does not get tired of partying. Ever.” He said, winking at Zane fondly when he pointed towards the redhead and cheered him on with a laugh. “Never change, my man.” He added, smirking as he reached Tim and curled his arms around his neck, nuzzling him contently before drawing him into a soft and affectionate kiss.

“Damn...” Tim panted a short time later, his cerulean eyes soft as he rubbed Rhys' shoulders gently. “I thought I just burned off all my energy, but uh... that kiss just brought it all back again real quick.” He said, a content rumble in his chest as Rhys kissed his throat fondly.

"Hmm, well, play your cards right and maybe we can go for a private workout after we eat…" Rhys hummed playfully, grinning as Tim immediately swooped down and devoured his lips in a hungry kiss. "I uh, I'll take that as a yes." He snickered, nuzzling his mate contently before Tim winked and headed off to pester Janey and her Alpha, Athena.

"You guys are sickeningly sweet." Vaughn huffed, wrinkling his nose at Rhys as he turned back to him with a sappy smile. "Seriously, I think I got cavities just from being nearby during that little… _display_." He snorted, shaking his head as Rhys rolled his eyes at his sour outlook on public displays of affection. The pair jostled playfully before heading over to the corner of the rough camp which they'd claimed for themselves, setting up their basic shelters to protect them from the weather while they slept in the day.

As they tied off a piece of string between two trees, Vaughn winced, caught by a surprisingly chill breeze which caused him to shiver. "Are you okay, Vaughn?" Rhys asked, noticing Vaughn's suddenly hunched shoulders and frowning at the other Omega in concern.

"Yeah, I just… I dunno, felt frozen through for a second." He replied, shaking his head at the strange sensation, before shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "Whatever it was, it's gone now anyway." He said, offering Rhys a reassuring grin, only to find him still frowning worriedly.

"... let's turn this around the other way." The Omega declared abruptly, taking down his end of the string and moving to an opposing tree, retying his knot so that the shelter would be strung a different way.

Vaughn raised a brow, glancing between the tree Rhys had abandoned and the one which he'd used. "Um... " he murmured, scratching his ear in confusion. "Why exactly are we moving this now? I thought you said you wanted it to face-" he asked, breaking off when another shiver caused him to hiss and whine in surprise.

Rhys smiled as he finished tying his knot and began to arrange the tarp over it, pinning it carefully into place to make sure anyone beneath would stay dry and warm. " _When the cold wind blows,"_ he explained quietly, walking over to Vaughn and gently taking the string from his hands. " _Turn your cover to the cold._ " He said, quickly tying the string into place and arranging the tarp to match the part he'd already fixed into place. " _Don't be ashamed,"_ he whispered, glancing slyly at Vaughn and leaning over to lick his cheek softly. " _If you need someone to hold."_ He said, nuzzling Vaughn's shoulder briefly before biting his lip and nudging him shyly.

"Oh…" Vaughn said, a blush staining his cheeks as he averted his eyes, glancing around the camp distractedly and noticing Tim looking his and Rhys' way. "I'm… not sure Tim would be too pleased if I interrupted cuddle time." He huffed, clearing his throat as he made to turn away.

"He wouldn't mind." Rhys said, his hand reaching out and catching Vaughn's wrist in a soft hold. "He understands… he uh, _agrees_." He said quietly, his fingers lacing with Vaughn's as the other Omega licked his lips and blushed furiously. "That's not me, saying you have to… just that, we'd be receptive." Rhys added, biting his lip at Vaughn's continued avoidance of his gaze. He hesitated a moment longer, before sighing and releasing Vaughn's hand; only for the dark haired Omega to squeeze his hand gently.

" _We_?" He asked, peeking up from beneath his lashes curiously, his eyes darting to Tim briefly; though the Alpha was now once more occupied by Janey and her mate. "You mean… you two have, you uh, you talked about…" he stammered awkwardly, blushing further when Rhys hummed and nuzzled his shoulder playfully.

"I tell Tim everything I feel." Rhys said, grinning goofily when Vaughn blinked in surprise. "He said he'd be happy, so long as you felt comfortable." He added, shrugging his shoulder and clearing his throat as he looked over to where Zane was beginning to dish up. "But like I said, it's just an offer. If it's not for you, we'll understand. No pressure or weirdness, okay..?" He asked, tugging Vaughn's hand and leading the way over to Zane's makeshift kitchen; unaware of the other Omega's racing heart or suddenly too full head.

An hour and a half later, Vaughn was still toying with his half eaten plate of Zane's latest masterpiece, frowning as he tried to sift through his hectic thoughts and figure out just what he wanted. The suppressor collar he'd lived with had all but erased his bodies needs, thus he had no idea what it felt like to desire or _be_ desired; outside of a drunken Humans brief fumbling and groping, which was over quickly and thankfully easy to burn from his memories. He whined quietly, worrying his lip as he tried to imagine what it might feel like or whether he was somehow defective; as he hadn't even considered such things as relationships or intimacy past the basic pack affection. He squirmed uncomfortably, immediately dismissing _bonding_ as a step too far, considering his severely lacking experience alone. "Heya, Vaughn…" Janey's quiet greeting startled the Omega, whirling toward her so fast he had to brace his head in his palm to abate the dizziness. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump." She giggled, biting her lip guiltily as she plopped herself down to sit beside him, nuzzling his shoulder gently as he sighed and shook his head. "You sounded a little lost and distressed so… I thought I'd see if you were doin' okay, yeah?" She explained, shifting awkwardly as Vaughn tried to get himself under control.

"I uh, yeah… yeah, I'm okay." He coughed, shaking his head and blinking dazedly, looking back down at his half eaten food and moving it around on the plate disinterestedly. "Just, ya know… _thinking_." He said evasively, as Janey hummed and nodded as if she could understand his cryptic murmurings.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with Rhys and his uh… increased affection?" Janey hummed lightly, her eyes on her hands as Vaughn yelped and turned towards her with wide eyes, only to find her grinning knowingly. "Rhys is about as transparent as a piece of glass." The Beta snickered, rolling her eyes toward Vaughn with a secretive smile. "It's part of how I figured out what he was so quickly… he's too honest, too open for his own good." She sighed, shaking her head fondly as her eyes turned distant, recalling something from her past which Vaughn suddenly found himself immensely curious of.

"What… was he like?" He asked curiously, biting his lip as he tilted his head. "It wasn't long after, was it?" he asked awkwardly, gesturing to his own throat and the much fainter marks of his own collar. "Was he… I mean, did he-?"

"I think you really need to ask Rhys about things like that," Janey said quietly, her hand lacing with Vaughn's and squeezing gently. "I wasn't around for awhile after the pack found him… you'd have to at least ask one of the others, like Brick or Roland… or Tim." She mused, folding her arms over her knees and leaning forward, peering at Vaughn curiously when he winced and unconsciously reaching to tuck her shaggy blonde hair behind her ear.

"Or you could ask _me_." Athena huffed, throwing herself on the ground beside Janey and smirking when the Beta jumped in similar surprise as Vaughn had to her own arrival, though she merely rolled her eyes and swatted her Alpha playfully. "Rhys was a different person when we found him. All of the confidence you see in him now is down to Tim and Jack, they took care of him even more than the rest of us." She said without hesitation, plucking a slice of meat from Vaughn's plate and biting a chunk off without asking. "It took him a year before he could actually look any of us in the eye, let alone spend time with us like this; and even then it still took another eighteen months after that, before he was able to actually keep from whimpering around a Human." She said dismissively, taking another bite from her stolen slice of meat.

"It took him that long?!" Janey gasped, blinking in surprise as Vaughn turned his eyes down to his feet, considering what he knew of his own treatment; and wincing as he imagined how much worse his friends had been. "I never realised… the poor 'lil guy. I always thought you guys just, saved him and then… he just started living normally." She said, curling her arms around herself and hanging her head guiltily.

"He doesn't like to talk about it… it would upset Tim and Jack." Athena said, rubbing Janey's thigh in reasaurance, while snagging another piece of meat from Vaughn's plate. "Plus, I'm pretty sure he knows we'd _all_ want to kill those bastards if he ever told us everything." She added with a negligent shrug.

Vaughn remained quiet, idly toying with the uneaten food which Athena wasn't interested in stealing, a frown building slowly on his brow as he came to realise he still knew so little about the person who had rescued him; and had also come to be his best friend. _Possibly more, if you wanted_ … the thought flashed through his head before he could fully grasp at it, scowling at himself for being even more confused then when he'd first begun to sift through his thoughts and feelings. "So…" he coughed, sucking in a deep breath and exhaling heavily, clearing his throat and pushing his various confusing emotions aside for a moment. "Who _is_ Jack?" He asked, frowning as he looked around the camp. "Rhys mentioned him too… the night he found me." He said, turning back to Janey and Athena. "Where-"

"He's dead." Athena said bluntly, her stolen slice of meat forgotten as she stared into the distance vacantly. Janey whined quietly, nuzzling her Alpha's shoulder gently as Vaughn blinked in surprise, grimacing at his own careless ignorance. "We were being chased, hunted by a team of Wolf Hunter's… they were relentless. Every time we thought we shook them off, they'd surprise us again and they almost wiped us out a few times." She said as she drew in a deep, unsteady breath. She glanced down at the stolen meat between her fingernails, grimacing as she sighed and tossed it back onto Vaughn's plate. "Eventually, we came to realise we were going to lose everyone; unless one of us made a sacrifice. We decided between us… that _I_ was going to lead the Wolf Hunter's away." She said, her hand curling into a tight ball as her eyes turned hard. "They cornered me… and I was ready to go down fighting. The others were safe, everything had gone according to plan." She said, a low growl of frustration building in her throat as she grit her teeth and turned toward Vaughn, gesturing with her free hand towards a long scar behind her ear, mostly hidden by her hair. "They did _this…_ and I thought it was all over. Next thing I know, there's Jack; snarling at me to run and that he'd be right behind me." She said, shaking her head in agitation as her eyes turned damp, before turning away and pointedly locking her jaw. 

"Always had to be the goddamn hero…" she muttered, as Vaughn averted his eyes guiltily, feeling strangely invasive as Athena showed a rare vulnerability. "I heard him _Howl_ …" she whispered, her tone tormented by grief as Janey whined quietly and wrapped her arms around her mate, burying her face against the back of Athena's neck in an attempt at comfort. "Then nothing. The pack came and blocked my route back to him… Tim and Fiona both have scars from restraining me. I hated them all for the longest of times." She said, shaking her head slowly as she relived the painful memories.

Vaughn fidgeted awkwardly, biting his lip as he glanced between Athena and Janey curiously. "... do you still?" He finally asked hesitantly, lowering his head submissively when Janey turned to him with accusatory glare, though when he peeked back at the pair he noticed the blonde was also curious about her mates reply. 

"A little, some days." Athena admitted quietly, looking down at her hand as she forced her hand to uncurl, revealing red half moon marks where her nails had broken the skin. "Some days a lot." She whispered, blinking dazedly when Janey whined in distress, grabbing Athena's hand and beginning to gently lick at her self inflicted injury. "But... I understand better now." She sighed, drawing her hand free of Janey's affection and nuzzling her warmly, her previously hard and angry gaze softening. "Meeting _you_ changed me… it gave me so many things in my life, that I didn't even know I was missing. I understand why Jack came back for me; and I understand why Tim would do it too. Just like I know, _I_ would do the same… _if_ I were the leading Alpha." She explained, accepting a brief but intimate kiss from Janey as she purred and blushed happily.

"But… _why-_?" Vaughn pressed, frowning and shaking his head in consternation. He worried his lip and growled to himself, flushing when the girls laughed at him quietly.

"Because _pack_ is everything… but pack with your _mate_ is even more." Athena said, humming contently as Janey nuzzled her jaw and curled around her. "Tim and Rhys meant everything to Jack; and he wasn't about to leave their safety to an outsider. Just like I wouldn't leave Janey's safety to anyone else." She said, flicking Janey on the nose with a small grin, before sobering and looking back at Vaughn. "It's been over almost two years since they lost him; and I guarantee you, they'll be mourning him next month's full moon. But the fact that they've reached out to you is reassuring... it means they're healing. I feel I can finally let go and forgive Jack, knowing he'd approve of you." She said, eyeing Vaughn thoughtfully for a moment, before looking away.

"But…" Vaughn shook his head, sighing as he looked down at his feet; more confused than ever by a dead man's apparent approval, as well as the strange warmth which it caused to bloom within his chest. "Wh-what if I never f-feel comforta- hey, why are you laughing at me?!" He demanded, yelping and baring his teeth at the Alpha as she snorted and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I'm not laughing." She lied, ignoring Vaughn's heatless scowl as she snickered again before clearing her throat. "It's just… you sound _exactly_ like Rhys, when he realised how Tim and Jack felt about him." She said, huffing fondly as Vaughn blinked in surprise and straightened at the revelation. "He got himself in a right panic over it, totally lost his head, until I pulled it outta his ass for him." She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the memory.

"Aw, ya didn't give him too much of a hard time for it, did you?" Janey asked, worrying her lip as she kissed Athena's cheek softly.

" _Pfft_ , damn right I did." Athena snorted, turning towards Vaughn and jabbing a finger at him warningly. "And I'm gonna say the same damn thing to _you_ !" She said, narrowing her eyes as Vaughn swallowed heavily and moved to lean away from her; though he was too slow to avoid the scolding flick to his nose. "Go and _talk_ to them. They'll explain everything to you; and if you say no, they'll understand. They want you, because they _care_ about you. I think the both of them have just, too much love in their hearts; they've been kind of lost ever since Jack died. You should feel very flattered to have broken through that grief…" she said, lowering her hand to Vaughn's knee and squeezing in reassurance. "If there's one person here who understands how you feel; it's Rhys." She added in a staged whisper, rolling her eyes when Vaughn blushed with realisation. "Go on, already… they went walking that way about ten minutes ago." She said, gesturing towards the edge of the clearing opposite them.

Vaughn eyed the treeline dubiously, his breath quickening as uncertainty warred within him. _What do you have to lose?_ One voice asked, while another scoffed and replied acerbically. _Oh nothing, just my new best friend and of course my place in the pack when I inevitably die of embarrassment._ He bit his lip, narrowing his eyes as he pushed to his feet determinedly and stared at the towering trees ahead of him. _But Rhys took a chance on rescuing a nobody like me… I owe it to both him and myself to see if this could be-_ he licked his lips, cutting the thought off before it could come to fruition. "I can do this." He said beneath his breath, marching awkwardly across the clearing as Athena and Janey watched with mounting amusement.

"You didn't tell him-" Janey murmured accusingly, swatting Athena's shoulder despite the playful grin on her lips.

"He's just like Rhys," Athena interrupted, biting playfully at Janey's swatting fingers. "He's been closeted so long, he's totally out of sync with the wants and needs of his own body. Hell, I doubt if that kid has ever had a boner, let alone a heat." She huffed, shaking her head and groaning in sudden realisation. "Oh god… I just sent him for a jumpstart; and if it works, there's gonna be two Rhys' in camp." She sighed, dropping her head into Janey's lap and whining mournfully as her mate laughed.

"Hey, I don't think it's the extra horny Omega we need to worry about…" she countered, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she met her mates resigned gaze. "It's the other's if he slips away from Tim the way that Rhys does." She snickered, squealing happily as Athena pouted and turned abruptly, silencing her laughter by devouring her mouth.

"Rhys?" Vaughn called a short while later, as he walked more naturally within the dense trees, his heart skipping beats intermittently as he licked his lips and tried to keep from the nervous whine from escaping his throat. "Tim?" He tried again, more at ease without the rest of the pack sitting as an audience. "Hey, Athena said you guys were out here…" he said, turning a slow circle as he walked ever deeper into the trees, marvelling as always at the strange bone like visage of high tree branches in the bare moonlight. "Uh, I just… I wanted to-" he coughed, his awkwardness returning as he felt his cheeks warm. He sighed heavily, coming to a halt and rolling his head on his shoulders. "I wanted to not be yelling aimlessly in the middle of the night…" he huffed, shaking his head as he took a last glance around the are before turning to head back to camp.

"... me, please..?" His head cocked as his ears picked up a breathy whisper from nearby, his nose twitching as he sniffed at the passing breeze and caught a hint of Rhys' scent; though it was strangely strong and far more appealing than normal. Vaughn paused, uncertain if he should go back to camp alone; before deciding that he should not give up his plan to speak with the mated pair. "Please… please- _oh..._ please, Tim!" Vaughn bit his lip as he cautiously followed Rhys' scent, which grew heavier with every step closer he took.

"Much as it pains me to say it, we can't right now… you _know_ that." Tim murmured regretfully, as Vaughn approached slowly, finally reaching a break through the trees where he paused and hovered; attempting to peer around the edge of a tree and preparing to announce his arrival, when his breath caught in his throat.

Rhys was flushed and restless, leaning heavily against a tree as he pawed and groped at Tim needily, whining as he rolled his hips into his mate and tipped his head back to allow Tim to smother his scarred throat with noisy, urgent kisses. " _Pleeeease_ ..?" Rhys whined again, nipping at Tim's ear as he arched and tugged again at his mates stubborn clothing. "Please, Tim… I want it, I _need_ it, please… please..?" He pleaded, as Vaughn felt his throat tighten, a whine building in his throat as he yearned to give Rhys whatever it was he so clearly needed so badly. " _Please_ knot me…" Rhys gasped, a deep throated whine escaping him as his body trembled; his scent intensifying as Vaughn blinked and shook his head, panting quietly as he was overwhelmed by the pleasant tingle which began to spark in his gut.

Tim groaned, his hands clutching at Rhys' hips and encouraging his increasingly urgent rutting against him, his fingers curled into claws which scratched at but were still careful to not break the skin. "Rhys, c'mon… you _know_ it isn't possible right now." He complained breathlessly, hungrily smothering Rhys' throat in urgent nips, bites and kisses as he rocked his hips to meet his mates motions. "None of the pack can risk getting knocked up, but especially not _you_. Kind of gives you away, ya know?" He grumbled, seeming to convince himself as to rebuke Rhys. "When we leave town and don't need to worry about living among Humans for awhile again, I promise; I'll knot you as often as you like, baby…" he half pleaded, growling quietly as Rhys purred eagerly at the promise.

Vaughn swallowed thickly, his mouth turning dry as he watched Rhys sigh and make a visible effort to calm himself. "I hate responsible Tim… he's no fun." The redhead pouted, as Tim huffed a tired laugh and finally lifted his head from Rhys' throat to gaze at him adoringly. 

"Trust me, another five minutes of _that_ and responsible Tim would've gone bye bye." He huffed, nuzzling his nose to Rhys' with a dopey grin as his mates pout intensified to an outraged scowl.

"You mean I was _that_ close and..?" He demanded, chuffing irritably when Tim snickered and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Hmm…" Rhys hummed, biting his lip in sudden shyness of Tim's gentle affection, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. "Well… seeing as _knots_ are out and all," he mused, his eyes lifting to Tim's and smoldering intently as he briefly sucked his lip between his teeth and arched against Tim. "Can I..?" He asked, pointedly dropping his eyes to Tim's blatant arousal before returning his eyes to his mates questioningly.

"I uh," Tim huffed, pretending to think as he grinned and finally shrugged a shoulder. "I guess that could be arran- _oof_!" Tim laughed when Rhys shoved him back a step and dropped eagerly to his knees, his hands already working quickly on Tim's trouser fastenings as he stared up at his Alpha intently. "Damn, don't give yourself whiplash there." He snockered, smirking as he ran his fingers gently through Rhys' hair. "You in a hurry or something?" He asked fondly, a deep rumble of anticipation erupting from his chest.

"You telling me to slow down?" Rhys quipped, waving his eyebrows suggestively as he unzipped Tim's fly and swallowed thickly; lowering his eyes as he began to roll the material away from Tim's hard cock. "Mmm… it's not how I wanted it, but damn; I'm still in awe, every time I see it..." He murmured, as Tim snorted and blushed at the ridiculous comment.

Vaughn bit his lip hard, guilt and embarrassment on his mated friends behalf flaring through his chest as he desperately tried to move; and consequently found his feet glued to the ground. "Shut up, Rhys." Tim snickered, drawing in a hiss of air as the Omega licked at the slit of his cock. "Else I'm gonna end up knitting you; and then Roland' gonna crawl up in my ass about it-"

"Yeah, could you maybe not talk about Roland when I'm sucking you off, please?" Rhys huffed, throwing Tim a reproachful scowl as his mate shrugged a shoulder and grinned unashamedly. "It's incredibly off putting." He sniffed, returning his eyes to Tim's cock as he continued to trail his tongue over the hard, heated flesh.

Vaughn swallowed, his heart racing as he found himself staring at the scene before him, utterly riveted by Rhys' determined attention upon Tim's cock. His stomach tightened, his gut curling with heat as he felt his body begin to behave strangely to the sight. The warmth in his gut began to shift, his dick awakening and nudging at the constraining material of his jeans; while a deep throb began to pulse within him, spreading throughout his body to most noticeably settle in his ass. _Is this a-arousal..?_ He wondered, before his eyes widened abruptly, his hands moving to his ass as he felt himself begin to warm and wetten. His jaw dropped, his heart crashing in his chest as Tim groaned loudly and encouraged Rhys to take more of his cock into his mouth.

"Damn, babe…" the Alpha muttered, pausing to catch his breath as Rhys hummed and purred around him. "You smell _amazing_... oh god, if you keep on like that I'm gonna end up fucking knotting you regardle-" he hissed rapidly, his fingers curling in Rhys' hair urgently as he forced Rhys to a halt.

"Hmm, that's not me…" he panted, licking his swollen lips as Vaughn felt himself turn abruptly cold, the pleasant warmth fading as realisation struck him hard. "That's-" the Omega began, closing his eyes and moaning quietly as he mouthed at the shaft of Tim's cock.

Vaughn felt his legs turn to jelly, his eyes stinging with shame as he abruptly turned tail and raced back to camp. He ignored the rest of the pack, curling himself defensively into an unclaimed corner and growling savagely at anyone who came too close; refusing any and all offers of support or comfort as he tried to quell the embarrassment which burned in the back of his throat like acid.

It was roughly an hour later that he was just beginning to doze, exhausted from trying to think and understand something which was too new an experience. "Hey." Rhys' voice murmured, startling him from the edge of slumber he'd been approaching with a guilty yelp. "Shh, it's okay bro! It's just me..!" He said soothingly, reaching for Vaughn and blinking in surprise when Vaughn bared his teeth at him in warning. " _Whoa_..! What's with the attitude?" He asked, spreading his palms in surrender to the other Omega.

"Don't… _baby_ me." Vaughn hissed, narrowing his eyes when Rhys raised a curious brow. "You knew I was there, you knew I could… that I.." he said, breaking off as he wrenched himself away from Rhys' extending hands. "You _knew_ … and yet still, you-" he accused petulantly, sniffing as he averted his eyes and swallowed painfully.

"... yes." Rhys admitted quietly, kneeling on the floor before Vaughn with a carefully blank expression. "I realised you were there just before I started to suc-"

 _"I know what you were doing_ !" Vaughn hissed lowly, flashing his teeth irritably as he growled to himself. "I don't need you to tell me..!" He groused, scowling at the redhead accusingly. "Why?" He demanded, his voice trailing into a whine as his confused jumble of emotions swept through him. "If you knew I was there, then _why-?_ " He pleaded, as Rhys sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Because… it's the only thing which helped me start to feel, like I might not be such a freak." He admitted slowly, his eyes on the floor as his cheeks stained with an embarrassed red glow. "I'd never felt anything like it before… the first time my body showed any kind of interest in, well anything." He said, exhaling a deep breath as he shuffled himself around and finally sat down fully on the floor.

Vaughn watched Rhys warily, frowning uncertainly and biting his lip as he reluctantly shifted his weight and calmed himself. "Wh-what happened?" He asked slowly, hesitantly shuffling closer as Rhys drew in a deep breath and seemed to fold in on himself. "I'm sorry… I just, I don't-" he apologised, shaking his head as Rhys whined quietly. "I'm sorry. Just, just forget I asked… I might not understand how certain things work but, I know it must have been pretty bad..." he said, biting his lip as Rhys gave a small grimace, before promptly burying his face in Vaughn's shoulder.

"Do you know," he mumbled against Vaughn's shoulder, as the other Omega wrapped an arm around his shoulder, concerned by the tremor which he felt running through his best friend. "The one 'redeeming feature' of an Omega, in the eyes of a Human?" He asked slowly, lifting his head enough that his deep blue eyes could meet Vaughn's soft and comforting brown.

Vaughn frowned, cocking his head to one side as he shook it slowly. "N-no…" he muttered, licking his lips as a sense of dread began to curl through his gut. "I didn't think there was one, to them, I mean… I thought they hated all Wolves alike." He added awkwardly, as Rhys chuffed quietly and averted his eyes, sighing heavily as he hugged his knees tight against his chest.

"Oh, yes… just the one; but only, for an Omega." Rhys said bitterly, his lip curling into a sneer as he glanced around the camp to make sure none of the others were within hearing range. His eyes rest on Tim for a long pause, his Alpha watching them both from a distance.

 _Standing guard_ … Vaughn realised abruptly, his brows raising as he felt a prickle of warmth infiltrating his unease. _Protecting what's his… even from the others. That… that includes, me..?_ The thought brought an unexpected rush of affection towards the Alpha, though Vaughn pushed it aside as Rhys sighed and finally looked toward him, while Tim leaned against his tree and faced the others; a fierce guardian between the rest of the pack and his Omega's.

"Promise me, you'll never say any of this to the others?" Rhys murmured quietly, startling Vaughn as the brunet lowered his head submissively, his voice barely above a whisper to be sure he wasn't overheard. " _Especially_ , not Tim." He said, glancing up at Vaughn with both determination and resignation. Vaughn nodded his head mutely, moving to huddle beside Rhys and offer him comfort for whatever difficulty he faced while thinking back to his past. "The one, _redeeming feature_ of an Omega," he sneered quietly, his fingers curling into tight balls in his palms. "Is that… if a Human is willing to _sully themselves_ enough to bed one; they'll have a Human child." He said, glancing around to make sure nobody had overheard him.

" _What_ ?!" Vaughn yelped, barely managing to control his voice as he clapped his hands over his mouth guiltily, flushing beneath Rhys' irritated glare. "Sorry… but, I mean how-?" He babbled, panic clawing at his throat as Taulor lowered his eyes. "Oh… _oh my god_ , did you-?!" He hissed, as Rhys whirled toward him with a growl.

"Don't be such an idiot!" He said roughly, glancing around the pack uneasily. " _Shut up_ ; and I'll explain, but so help me if you keep whining and making a scene then I will never tell you another word about it!" He hissed, baring his teeth as he hunched his shoulders defensively and glanced toward Tim.

Vaughn drew in a deep breath and followed his gaze, wincing at Tim's clearly tensed shoulders. "Look, I'm sorry… but you can't expect to just say _that_ and have me not-" he said, shaking his head as he bit of the rest of his protests, sucking in a deep breath and trying to calm the panicked beat of his heart. "Okay… okay. I'll, do my best to keep my mouth shut. Just, please… don't leave me hanging like this. Please tell me, Rhys." He pleaded, his hand slipping down to squeeze his friends as Rhys' frosty expression finally began to thaw.

"Stop getting yourself all worked up…" he said quietly, lowering his hunched shoulders and allowing Vaughn to lean in against his side, nuzzling him softly in reassurance. "I can assure you right now, I have no illegitimate Human spawn running around out there… though I probably have a bunch of Human siblings." He huffed, rolling his eyes as Vaughn rest his head on Rhys' shoulder and whined beneath his breath. "I was raised in a cage. My mother was an Omega, caught and bred like an animal. Rich Human's who had wives that were unable to conceive or just unwilling to gain baby weight, or who had been widowed… whatever they felt like really." He said, his eyes turning distant as he looked across the clearing. "She broke out one full moon, had herself an Alpha… made _me_." He huffed, sniffing quietly and swallowing thickly as Vaughn huddled closer to his side in an attempt at offering comfort. "She said it was worth it, even after she was caught and beaten for it… because she got me. A child of her own. But I used to hear her cry at night; and try as she might to hide it, I knew it was because of me. Because she knew what they planned, as soon as I was old enough to start producing slick." He said, biting the inside of his cheek as Vaughn fidgeted beside him, desperately trying to offer support while not attracting attention from the others.

"Rhys-" he whined quietly, biting his lip and squeezing the Omega's hand tightly, his eyes wide and filled with compassion as he quickly licked Rhys' cheek.

" _Pfft,_ dude… quit it." Rhys snorted, successfully distracted from his terrible history by his friends need to show his affection and support. "Shut up a little longer, 'kay?" He huffed rolling his eyes as Vaughn chuffed and pouted at him. "I got lucky, to be honest… whether it was because of the fact I had been slapped straight into a collar from birth, or whether it was the general captivity; I never worked out… I never matured enough to start producing slick. They thought I was born barren… stopped adjusting my collar, stopped feeding me. The only thing they didn't stop was the taunting… but by that point I didn't care." He said quietly, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. "The pack found me, left to rot in my cage at the back of a breeding warehouse… not that they knew what it was; too distracted by the awful stench of almost dead Omega." He huffed, a sad smile touching his lips as he traced them thoughtfully with his finger. "Tim and Jack… they were like something out of a dream. They were beautiful, determined and just- heh, I half thought I had died and gone to heaven… or wherever we Wolves go, when we're inevitably killed off by Hunters, starvation or whatever other torturous end Humans think up for us." He snickered, shaking his head as he bit the end of his finger softly.

"You miss him?" Vaughn asked bluntly, blushing guiltily when Rhys unexpectedly laughed at his thoughtless question. "I mean, I'm sorry… I just-" he said, sighing in frustration as he took a moment to try and gather his words. "I just mean… you hope he's there? So that even though you can't join him, he's happy?" He asked, grimacing when the words came out still sounding wrong to him.

"I suppose, yeah." Rhys said softly, looking over at Tim's turned back fondly, before glancing slyly at Vaughn. " _Someone's_ been talking to Athena." He snickered knowingly, nudging Vaughn's knee playfully as he chuffed and nudged him back with a grin. "Jack… saved me just as much as Tim did. I wouldn't be here without the pair of them; and I certainly wouldn't have ever found my sex drive waking up." He said, a slow blush building in his cheeks as he bit his lip in uncharacteristic shyness.

Vaughn lowered his eyes to his feet, considering everything Rhys had confessed to him and marvelling at his strength to have kept himself alive when Humans had all but abandoned him to die. "So, how _did_ you..?" He asked quietly, his own blush burning his cheeks as he avoided Rhys' eyes; the pair of them looking away awkwardly.

"I'm guessing Athena told you I had a minor meltdown when I figured out that Tim and Jack both had more than just uh, _friendship_ feelings toward me?" Rhys hummed with a small grin, snickering when he glanced sideways and caught Vaughn nodding. "Hmm, well she sent me into the woods after them. Said I should talk to them…" he huffed, laughing when Vaughn choked and scowled, narrowing his eyes across the camp in accusation. "Ah, so _that's_ how you found us." Rhys giggled, shaking his head as he sighed fondly. "I hope that girl never changes… makes immortality a lot more bearable." He huffed, purring softly as he nuzzled against Vaughn affectionately. "I didn't know what it was… but Tim and Jack smelt it as soon as it started. I don't know if it was the time away from the cage, or without the collar… I don't even care anymore. All I know, is for the first time… I felt warm. I felt loved, wanted; for all the right reasons. I felt safe… and I _wanted_ them." He said, sighing as he sat straight and folded his arms around his knees again. "... I admit it freaked me out that first time too. But you get used to it dude, I swear. Slick is good. Plus, it drives Tim crazy." He chuckled fondly, gazing over at Tim warmly as his scent brightened; free of the burden of his past weighing on him again.

Vaughn hummed thoughtfully, fidgeting restlessly as he bit his lip and tried to work through everything he'd learnt. "How do you not hate them?" He asked at last, turning toward Rhys with a confused frown. "After what they did to you, to your mother, to Jack… how can you not want to kill every Human you see?" He wondered aloud, his awe clear as he gazed at Rhys intently.

"Because, you can't judge an entire species just on it's worst members." He replied, chuckling quietly as he drew in a deep breath. "Jack always said that… something about it just stuck with me. I mean, if I blamed every Human for what happened; I wouldn't have met Janey, or Axton. I couldn't have helped them…" he said, biting his lip as he lowered his eyes shyly. "I couldn't have met _you_."

"Or saved me." Vaughn added, leaning his head back on Rhys' shoulder and purring quietly in gentle affection. Rhys laughed at the reminder, choosing not to reply verbally, but humming in vague agreement and ruffling the top of Vaughn's shaggy hair with his nose. They remained quiet for several long seconds, before Vaughn's eyes drifted to Rhys' throat; the scars seeming so much more prominent now that he knew the story behind them. His content purr grew louder, his head shifting on Rhys' shoulder without thought as he lifted his lips and pressed them to the closest mark. Instantly, Rhys began to purr himself, an intense shiver running through him as Vaughn's lips tickled across his throat in gentle affection.

" _Hmm…_ " Rhys sighed, tipping his head back as Vaughn grew bolder, his breath catching as he planted a firm and definite _kiss_ to Rhys' scarred skin. "Vaughn-" he whined quietly, his hand drifting to Vaughn's knee and squeezing tightly.

Vaughn pulled away, glancing over at Tim to find he'd turned back to face them, watching intently as Vaughn swallowed and finally, hesitantly extended his hand towards him. Tim moved before his fingers were fully uncurled, striding forward and coming to sit behind the pair, nuzzling Rhys and reassuring himself his Omega wasn't upset, before turning towards Vaughn with a curious sniff at his now exposed throat. "I… I've never," he said awkwardly, shifting his weight as he glanced between the pair and sucked in a deep, steadying breath. "I don't know how this is supposed to work, but… I-I think, I'd like to try." He said hesitantly, snickering softly when Rhys beamed and whimpered excitedly. "But, I… I also wanna make sure I'm not just, that I'm not gonna be here just to replace Jack- not! That I ever think he _could_ be replac-"

"Calm down, Nerdy Guy…" Tim huffed quietly, a content rumble in his chest as he stroked Rhys' thigh unconsciously and trailed his fingers curiously over Vaughn's knee. "You're right, he can't ever be replaced… but that isn't what we want anyway." He explained quietly, looking at Vaughn intently. "I admit, we feel his loss… we always will. But Rhysie, no… _we_ asked you, because we like you; and we want you." He said, his fingers slowly wandering further up Vaughn's leg as his piercing, cerulean eyes watched him intently.

Vaughn's breath caught, his eyes locked on Tim's exploring fingers, his heart skipping a beat as he felt Rhys squeeze and knead at his knee. "I um, I guess I could be into that…" he finally admitted, laughing quietly when Rhys whined in excitement and leaned to press an urgent, but brief kiss to Tim's lips. "But, I… I kind of feel a little, I feel…" Vaughn said haltingly, running his hand through his hair in frustration when the words eluded him.

"It's okay," Rhys assured quickly, squeezing Vaughn's knee reassuringly. "I get it, it's overwhelming and… and it feels as if, as if…" he said, pausing as he shifted closer to both Tim and Vaughn, his eyes flitting between the two as he considered briefly. "You don't need to worry, okay? 'Cause; _If you're sinking in quicksand,"_ he said quietly, his hand shifting from Vaughn's knee to his hand and lacing their fingers together gently. " _And it's dragging you down,"_ he continued, squeezing Vaughn's fingers as Tim's fingers idled across his thigh. " _And you feel you're going under,"_ Rhys whispered, his eyes piercing as they met Vaughn's warm gaze. " _We'll be around."_ He promised, as Vaughn began to purr quietly, smiling as he bit his lip and glanced between the pair.

Vaughn drew in a deep breath, nodding slowly as Rhys leaned toward him and cupped his cheek in his hand, his fingers threading through the tidy beard gently as his lips met Vaughn's in a soft and chaste kiss. Vaughn felt his cheeks burn, beginning to lower his eyes when Tim's fingers beneath his chin prevented him. Vaughn's fingers curled into tight claws, his breath quickening as Rhys withdrew and Tim instead leaned towards him. His eyes drifted closed as Tim's lips skimmed his own, surprising him in their tenderness despite the lingering hunger Vaughn could feel in the Alpha.

" _You can run with us,"_ Rhys promised, his words taking one entirely new meaning as Vaughn hummed and parted his lips for the Alpha's gently requesting tongue. " _We've got everything you need,"_ he said quietly, his rising joy and excitement palpable as he squeezed his hand encouragingly. " _Run with us… we are free."_ He said, chuffing warmly as Tim deepened his own kiss with Vaughn, teasing his tongue with sordid, unspoken promises for the future. " _Come with us,"_ Rhys pleaded, leaning close and nuzzling Vaughn's side while his free hand palmed at Tim's thigh. " _I see passion in your eyes,"_ he whispered in Vaughn's ear, licking his cheek softly above the dark hair of his beard. " _Run with us."_ He murmured as Tim released Vaughn, a deep rumble emanating from his chest, revealing his own contentment as Vaughn bit his lip shyly.

Vaughn felt his cheeks blaze with heat, his heart racing as he licked his tingling lips. He slowly raised his eyes, nodding to Rhys as he gently knocked their foreheads together and purred along with Tim. "... I will." He murmured, allowing himself to melt into their embrace as a new and unexpected future opened up before him.

***~*~*~*~***

Vaughn purred contently, his breath quickening as Rhys' hands gripped his waist tightly and encouraged him to meet the urgent roll of his hips; his lips hungry as he peppered Vaughn's throat with soft, affectionate licks and kisses.

"Mmm-" Vaughn moaned softly, the sound immediately devoured by Tim's demanding kiss; his heart racing at the Alpha's intoxicating scent, overwhelming his senses as his body flared with desire beneath their touches. In the five months since his friends had invited him to join their relationship, Vaughn had felt more love than he could remember feeling in his entire life. Neither one of them pressed him for more than he was willing to give, always seeming to sense when he'd reached some boundary which blocked him from giving himself to them entirely.

" _Ooooh..!"_ Rhys purred deeply, his body tensing as he shivered, before resuming his previous attentions to Vaughn's throat, his motions growing more frantic as he moaned needily. "Vaughn-" he breathed, as Vaughn whined and broke free of Tim's demanding kiss to turn his dazed eyes toward the Omega. Tim's lips dropped without hesitation to his shoulder, his chest rumbling against Vaughn's back as he rolled his hips slowly against him.

"Oh-" Vaughn gasped, shivering as he blinked slowly, dazedly watching Tim's fingers dance playfully across Rhys' bonding gland, teasing the sensitive, _marked_ flesh softly. His heart ached, longing flooding through him as he felt his body warm, his ass pulsing and tingling with the telltale threat of imminent slick. "I-" he breathed, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the niggling voice in his heart which told him he wasn't truly welcome. _They never touch_ **_your_ ** _bonding gland… they'll never really want_ **_you_ ** _._ Vaughn bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut as Tim moaned behind him, scenting the slick which Rhys was already heavily exuding; combined with the tentative hint of Vaughn's own scent. "I- w-wait..!" Vaughn gasped abruptly, whining with regret when Tim and Rhys both immediately allowed him some room.

"Vaughn..?" Rhys called softly, his lips finding the other Omega's and brushing against them softly, reassuring despite his obvious concern. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-" he said guiltily, blushing as he bit his lip and half turned his head towards his ass.

"No, it's not… you smell, _amazing._ " Vaughn assured, sucking in a deep and shaky breath as he tried to calm the strange jealousy which soured any intimacy they had tried to initiate. As soon as Vaughn felt himself close to producing slick, the doubt came; and he found himself ever frustrated by his own hesitance.

"Hey… it's okay, ya know?" Tim murmured, nuzzling Vaughn's now smooth cheek affectionately. "We aren't about to pressure you into something you're not ready for." He said reassuringly, his arm curling around Vaughn's waist to hug him tighter to himself, while he kissed his shoulder again lightly. "You're worth the wait to us, you know that, right?" He added as he nipped at Vaughn's ear affectionately.

"Vaughn it's okay to trust your body…" Rhys said, chafing his hands over Vaughn's arms gently. "You don't have to be afraid, we would never hurt you… but Tim's right; we don't want you to feel pressured into this. We'll wait as long as you need." He said, kissing Vaughn's cheek affectionately.

Vaughn huffed in frustration, wriggling out from between them and straightening his too tight jeans, hissing at the rough material dragging over his erection. _As long as they need to wait for the unbonded Omega… the extra who'll never really be a part of, whatever this is._ He thought bitterly, instantly wincing at the spitefulness of his own unfair thoughts. "I'm sorry… it's not that I don't want to-" he said, gritting his teeth and growling at himself, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I just, I feel… _I just-_ " 

"Dude, it's okay." Rhys said, reaching for Vaughn's hand and squeezing gently. "We'll be here. However long it takes, okay?" He assured, his other hand finding Tim's as they gravitated toward each other, their arousal still heavy in the air around them all. "I get it, you know..? We don't judge you for being weirded out by your body feeling things it hasn't ever felt before." He said, as Vaughn chuffed quietly and gently untangled his hand from Rhys'.

"Yeah." Vaughn sighed, running his hand through his hair irritably as he turned his back on the pair. "I uh, I think I should head back." He said tightly, biting back the words which ate at his heart. _Why don't you want me to be a real part of this relationship_? 

"Ya don't have to go, Vaughn..." Tim called after him, his voice low as Rhys nuzzled his jawline and whined needily. "Even if you're not ready for more, you can stay with us. We still want you around,you know? Even if you're not participating-" he said, hissing as Rhys' hand slid beneath the fabric of his jeans.

"No, I… I wouldn't want to _interfere_ ." Vaughn bit out, immediately hurrying away from the clearing they'd found for some privacy. He sniffed as he weaved through the trees unhurriedly, distracted by the thoughts of what he knew would happen between his lovers and what he wished he could be a part of. _Except you could be, if you weren't so fixated on this dumb…_ he thought sourly, sighing as he came to a stop somewhere between the private clearing and the camp; leaning against a tree as he gripped at his hair in frustration and looked up at the twilight sky. His fingers drifted toward the back of his neck, his breath catching as they hovered just beyond the edge of his bonding gland. "It's not the same…" he muttered, sighing again as he dropped his hand to his side despondently. "I want… I _want_ -"

"Vaughn?" Fiona's voice made Vaughn yelp, whirling in surprise as he flushed guiltily and backed away from the Alpha. "Hey, are you- _oh_." She said, clearing her throat and scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I really didn't need to smell that… serves me right for showing concern for once." She sighed, turning away with a negligent wave over her shoulder. "See ya round, dork-"

"Wait, Fiona…" Vaughn called, biting his lip as she sighed heavily and reluctantly turned back towards him. "I'm, I'm sorry… it's just , I was with…" he said, gesturing back at the clearing behind him where he'd left Tim and Rhys. "I just-" he babbled awkwardly, dropping his head into his palms and growling at himself in frustration.

"Dude, you seriously need to get laid." Fiona snorted, shaking her head as she sighed and flipped her fringe out of her eyes. "So, why the hell are you sitting here on your own, stinking of horny Omega when the two idiots you've chosen to be with are still off getting down and dirty?" She asked, frowning over at Vaughn in confusion.

Vaughn lowered his eyes, scuffing his foot in the dirt as he bit his lip and tried to find the words to explain himself appropriately. "It's complicated…" he muttered petulantly, kicking at a pebble and sending it skittering into a nearby tree. "I just, everytime we're… and I'm just about to.. but then, I-"

"Okay, first off; these are all details, _I_ do not need to know." Fiona interrupted, raising her palms as she cut Vaughn off mid rant. "Second, if this is gonna involve _feelings_ and shit, I'm gonna go get Janey to deal with you instead…" she added, backing away with a grimace until Vaughn whined in distress, groaning irritably as she scowled at him. "What exactly gives you the idea that I am a good source of support when it comes to such sappy bullshit as… _emotions_ or _feelings_?!" She demanded, cracking her neck in frustration as she began to pace in agitation.

"I'm sorry, for… for making you feel awkward but I, I don't want to trouble anyone else…" Vaughn said slowly, wincing and lowering his eyes guiltily as he curled an arm around his waist.

"Oh, but you'll trouble _me_ with it." Fiona scoffed, rolling her eyes and sighing in frustration when she noticed Vaughn curling in on himself shamefully. "Urgh, this is why I'm so relieved Brick or Zane aren't an Omega… they fixate and get butthurt by the _slightest_ damn thing." She muttered irritably, gritting her teeth as she stomped across the clearing and clamped her hand on Vaughn's shoulder, grimacing as she patted the area awkwardly. "Uh, there… there." She coughed, pointedly looking away until Vaughn began to chuckle quietly.

"Wow, you really are bad at this sort of thing." He huffed, oddly cheered by her efforts. He frowned, considering her explanation briefly before turning his eyes towards her curiously. "What did you mean before? When you said Omega's fixate; and get uh, _upset_ by the slightest thing..?" He asked, clearing his throat as he tactfully changed her phrasing.

"I said butthurt." Fiona reiterated, narrowing her eyes at him until he snickered and nodded slowly. "Omega's get something bother them and rather than just _say_ it, they expect everyone to just _know_ what the hell they want." Fiona sighed, rolling her eyes and snorting as she recalled something amusing. "You should've seen Rhys when he first started to want people to touch or hug him. Threw some real tantrums over it." She said as she shook her head fondly, a small smile curling her lips. "Even worse was when he got horny after Jack died. He felt all guilty and used to snap at Tim, which made him worse because he could feel Tim's pain through the bond still; while Jack's side was just… empty." She went on quietly, as Vaughn blinked in surprise, his eyes widening at the revelation.

"They were…" he stammered, clearing his throat as his heart leapt up to block it. "They were all..?" He asked, gesturing vaguely to the back of his neck, blushing as his body began to warm with a hint of his former arousal. "I… I didn't know that was…" he said awkwardly, hiding his eyes as Fiona cleared her throat and took a pointed step away from him.

"Is that what's got you all back to front?" Fiona demanded, scowling and rolling her eyes when Vaughn blushed and stubbornly bit his lip to keep from answering. "Okay, you and Rhys are officially an ideal match. I swear, you idiots were cut from the same Wolfskin..." she sighed, shaking her head as she turned and leaned her hip against a tree, folding her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at Vaughn irritably. "If you want them to bond you, you're gonna have to use your big boy words, okay? Rhys freaked out every time Tim or Jack used to get near his bonding gland; so I expect they're trying to be respectful and not scare you." She explained slowly, snorting when Vaughn's cheeks turned pink at the insinuation. "You know, this is way more emoional baggage than I'm prepared to deal with… you need to either get over whatever stupid Omega bullshit is in your head, or go talk to them and let them _show_ you it's bullshit. Or both. Both is good… just, leave me out of it in future." Fiona sighed, shaking her head to toss her mohawk out of her face, before turning away. "I swear, next time I smell you in distress; I'm walking the other damn way, got it?" She demanded sourly, though Vaughn warmed at the hint of deceit in her words.

"... thanks, Fiona." He huffed fondly, his arms folding around his stomach as it fluttered nervously, watching the Alpha walk away until she was out of sight; before turning his attention to himself. _So… they've been avoiding my bonding gland; to make me feel safe. Never realising, I was growing frustrated by them never touching it._ He thought, the reasoning suddenly so obvious now Fiona had explained it. _Because I never told them_ … he realised, biting his lip as he looked back towards the clearing where he's left his lovers. "So… I _should_ tell them…" he murmured, cocking his head as he wondered idly why he hadn't come to such a simple conclusion by himself. _The sooner you explain and apologise, the sooner your relationship can move forward… they might not be ready for another bond, but they've been so careful to make sure I don't feel pressured, they deserve to know it isn't their fault I've been acting so weird._ He thought, nodding to himself as he began to trot back through the trees, his pulse quickening as he returned with a much lighter heart.

Vaughn's breath caught as he approached the clearing, Rhys' scent heavy in the air, while Tim's powerful scent blended deliciously with it; a warning to others that the Omega in question was very much taken. _And they want mine in there too…_ he thought, his arousal reawakening as he slowed and approached carefully. He paused at the edge of the clearing, his throat turning dry as he watched Rhys roll his hips over Tim; rising and falling over his dick with breathy whimpers which made Vaughn's jeans feel unbearably tight in record time.

Vaughn was distracted from the sight by Tim stiffening, growling deep in his throat in a way which left no doubt that he was unwelcome. "What's… got into yo-?" Rhys began to ask, his words melting into a moan which made Vaughn wish he'd never left. "Oh… _oh,_ wait-" Rhys hissed, whining as he seemed to pick up the foreign scent which had invaded their privacy. "No, no… Tim, it's not- _oh_!" He whined, moaning lewdly as Tim gripped his hips and thrust up into him quickly, his growl growing in volume as he pulled Rhys down towards him possessively. "Tim, wait..!" Rhys pleaded breathlessly, his eyes searching as Tim rolled over him protectively, unable to tell friend from foe when so lost to the intimacy they'd been sharing.

Vaughn gripped the tree he stood beside tightly, his fingers curled into claws as he watched Tim thrust into Rhys with powerful motions, his heart aching that he'd left them to continue without him. He felt his ass warm, throbbing with want and need as he stared at Tim with Rhys; possessive and needy himself as he protected his Omega from unwanted eyes. _Rejection_ . Vaughn felt his heart sink, doubt returning tenfold as he swallowed thickly, unable to tear his eyes from his lovers. _Rejection_. He felt the whine build in his throat, his heart aching as he yearned to step forward and offer himself; though his feet remained locked into place by the bitter sting of rejection which swept through him.

"V-Vaughn..!" Rhys called, spotting him from where he was pinned beneath Tim. "Baby… it's okay, it's Vaughn. Wait, Tim… wai- _mmm_ !" He moaned as Tim thrust harder, growling fiercely as Rhys tried to reach for Vaughn, his eyes glazed by pleasure as Tim's knot began to swell. "Baby, no! W-wait! You said to tell you to s-stop… y-you said, no knots! … _Tim_ !" Rhys moaned, shivering as his body was overwhelmed by the pleasure it so sought, though his distress was clear as he continued to reach for the other Omega. "Vaughn- Vaughn, wait!" He called, though his pleas came too late; as Vaughn whined brokenly, before turning and fleeing as fast as he could. " _Vaughn_!" Rhys cried desperately, clawing at Tim's shoulder as his orgasm was tainted by despair; crying as he bit and clawed at his mate desperately.

Vaughn wasn't sure what possessed him to run; he only knew that he needed to leave before Tim turned and _sent_ him away. He ran blindly, swinging to the right to avoid the pack and racing through the trees, oblivious of anything but the bitter sting of rejection in his heart. _What the hell was I thinking?_ His thoughts chased him, spurring him to run faster in an attempt to outrun them. _They're perfect together, why would they want to add me into what they have?_ He wondered acidly, shaking his head and whining as he ran faster, dodging around trees effortlessly before leaping lightly into the low branches. _Rhys is way too good for the likes of me; and as for Tim…_ his thoughts spat at him bitterly, his heart aching as he whimpered and sped through the trees aimlessly. _I let myself get caught… all because they promised they were nice and they wouldn't tell the Wolf Hunters about me. I was an idiot…_ _Rhys never would've let them blindside him like that._ He thought, gasping as his steps faltered, falling from the branch he'd been on and twisting in the air to land on his feet, crouching low against the ground as he panted heavily and stared at the floor emptily. _You don't deserve them. Any of them_. The vicious thought made him recoil like he'd been slapped, his heart racing as he tried to catch his breath.

Vaughn licked his lips, slowly lifting his head and finding himself to be only mildly surprised to find he'd run almost the entire distance back to town. He swallowed thickly, looking over the outline of the city with a sense of detachment, his pulse jumping as his eyes passed over a familiar cluster of buildings on the outskirts of town. Without letting himself think his actions through, Vaughn quickly jogged the rest of the way back to town, taking a path which he'd not set foot on in over a year; yet remembering the one journey like it was only the day before. _I could never forget… he was like an angel, come to rescue me from the darkness._ He thought distantly, turning down an alley and creeping closer to a small bungalow. _I wonder… how different thigs might have been, if he hadn't found me._ He mused, carefully prying the living room window open. He paused to listen briefly, but heard no sign of anything living within the bungalow; half wondering if they'd abandoned the place after his escape. _Would I have been sold to a breeding warehouse, as soon as I began producing slick?_ He wondered, climbing silently through the window and pausing again to listen intently to his surroundings. _Would I have ever produced any? Would I have been left here to die, if I hadn't?_ He flinched at the thought, hating himself for being so lucky in comparison to his best friend. He covered his ears with his hands, shaking his head as if he might be able to drown out the vicious voice of his own thoughts, before grunting irritably and heading for the stairs to the basement.

 _I don't want to be Rhys… I don't want to be Jack._ He thought distantly, carefully inching his way down to the basement, his heart rising to his throat as he approached the ratty mattress he'd been chained to for several years. _But at the same time; I don't want to be me… because, I don't feel like I'm ever gonna be good enough for them._ He realised, sighing quietly as he gazed down at the small area where he'd spent so much of his time in captivity. He caught a glint of light, and bent to hesitantly pick up his old collar; wincing at the cool and unforgiving metal against his fingers, it's power still strong as it turned his fingers numb. _Did it do this to Rhys, when he took it off?_ He wondered, frowning down at the collar as he thought back to the night Rhys had rescued him, certain he never noticed the redhead show any signs of discomfort.

 _"And you're behind closed doors,"_ he whispered, recalling Rhys' voice as he murmured gentle promises one night as he tried to sleep. " _All alone by yourself…"_ he murmured, his finger tracing the strange metal in the collar as his fingers slowly tingled and then burned, before they finally fell numb. " _And you're longing inside… to be somebody else."_ He snorted quietly, shaking his head at the strangely apt wording, wondering if Rhys had ever suspected he would return to the scene where they'd met. " _You pick up the telephone,"_ he sighed slowly, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. " _And there's no one on the line,"_ he mumbled, closing his eyes as a shiver passed through his spine. " _Don't be afraid,"_ he whispered, just as Rhys had before him; tilting his head as he imagined his best friend turned lover running his fingers through his hair affectionately. "... _'cause there's still time."_ He said slowly, swallowing thickly as his eyes began to sting, doubt weighing on him heavily as he realised the extent of what he'd lost.

"You'd better have a _damn_ good reason for even _looking_ at that disgusting thing, let alone _touching_ it." The familiar drawl made Vaughn yelp, whirling around to find the Alpha leaning against the bottom of the stair rail with his arms crossed over his rapidly heaving chest, his expression thunderous as he eyed the collar in Vaughn's hands. "Those things are despicable at the best of times, but after seeing what they did to Rhys…" Tim growled, his eyes narrowing as Vaughn's expression twisted briefly with jealousy before he looked away. "What they did to _you_ …" he continued, snarling at the shock which Vaughn looked back at him with. "I'd gladly destroy every single one I found; and I'd happily kill the Human holding it." He promised darkly, his clear eyes seeming to glow in the fading light.

"I…" Vaughn shook his head, a thousand thoughts clogging his brain as he tried to think of something to say in response. "How did you find me..?" He finally mumbled, looking back at the metal in his hand to avoid looking at the Alpha.

"Wasn't exactly hard," Tim scoffed, rolling his eyes as he straightened from the railing and looked around the basement in obvious disgust. "Followed your scent. I'd have caught up toyaou sooner but, uh…" he coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat as he fell silent for a pause.

"But you were _busy_ ." Vaughn spat sourly, blinking in surprise at the venomosity of his words. "Kissing Rhys, loving Rhys; _knotting_ Rhys." He ranted, shaking his head and whining in distress as the litany of hurtful ranting fell from his lips. "Because he's your mate; your _proper_ mate, your _bonded_ -" he hissed, yelping when Tim's hands settled on his shoulders, snapping him out of his verbal assault on his lovers. "I… I mean-"

"I was busy; _consoling_ Rhys." Tim said slowly, his eyes searching Vaughn's as he blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to… I didn't think you'd be back tonight and I let my guard down. I didn't know anything past _someone_ being there. If I had known it was _you_ , I would've been dead chuffed…" he explained, carefully dragging his thumbs over Vaughn's shoulders as he stared unblinkingly into Vaughn's warm eyes, conveying his sincerity and his shame for his behaviour.

"... really?" Vaughn asked quietly, biting his lip uncertainly, as Tim huffed and rolled his eyes, swatting Vaughn's shoulder and nipping his ear in affectionate admonishment.

"You've had me kiss you often enough to know I want you, right? You've felt my dick against your ass? That's all for _you_ , ya know?" Tim snickered with fond exasperation, shaking his head at Vaughn's disbelief. "Geez, I forgot Omega's worry about the dumbest shit… nowadays Rhys mostly only worries about knotting, fucking, occasionally eating... and _you_ so, guess I forgot how insecure he used to get." He said, hesitating for a heartbeat as Vaughn blushed intensely, before leaning closer and nuzzling his cheek gently. "When you ran off… Rhys was devastated. Snapped me outta my possessive Alpha bullshit, having him so distressed… kinda ruins the high when you get a big rush of depressed Omega through a bond." He said, tentatively tapping at the back of Vaughn's neck where his bonding gland was hidden by his still growing hair.

"He… he was?" Vaughn asked, frowning and worrying his lip as he whined quietly, concerned about his best friend and the state he had left him in. "I, I didn't mean to… I just, I thought…" he stammered, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as he felt a tendril of guilt curl through his gut. "I'm sorry!" He suddenly exclaimed, the words rushing from him with such force that Tim blinked in surprise. "I… I was so close to- but then you were," he babbled, grabbing Tim's hand with a scowl and pressing it roughly to his bonding gland, hissing at the rush of pleasure from the sensitive area. "But-but only for _him_ and I, I thought I was just living some stupid dream, that you'd never want _me_ ; and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… _breathe_ , Vaughn…" Tim murmured, grazing his fingers carefully over Vaughn's bonding gland and staring him to a stop. They fell into a comfortable silence, Tim's fingers gentle and soft against Vaughn's sensitive skin, soothing him until he began to purr contently. "Is that why you've been pulling away from us?" Tim asked quietly, frowning at Vaughn as he nodded dazedly.

"Mmm," he hummed distractedly, sighing as he curled his fingers into Tim's Timet and pulled him closer. "Wanted you to want me." He mumbled sulkily, nuzzling Tim's jaw as the Alpha chuffed irritably.

"You're as much of an idiot as Rhys, you know that?" He demanded, sighing as he cupped his palm over Vaughn's bonding gland, ignoring his needy whine as he stopped his caress of the area; not wanting to overwhelm him in such a dismal place. Tim waited until Vaughn's warm eyes cleared of his pleasure haze, before encouraging him forward, his lips teasing but unbearably gentle against him as he tried to reassure the Omega. "Vaughn, we didn't wantyaou to feel overwhelmed or pressured. We didn't want you to think we would use your bonding gland to coerce you or something..." he murmured between soft kisses, finally drawing back to knock his forehead to Vaughn's.

Vaughn blinked in surprise, his cheeks warming as embarrassment and realisation clashed abruptly. "... oh." He said quietly, biting his lip as his heart rushed to fill with adoration for the pair, startling him with the ferocity of the emotions he felt surge through him. "I… I'm sorry. F-for being a, a dumb Omega and… and fixating-" he babbled, unable to repress the giddy grin which spread across his face.

"Lemme guess, you've been talking to Fiona?" Tim snorted, rolling his eyes at the Alpha's clear interference. "Anyway, as much as I don't want to burst your happy little bubble right now… do you think we can finish conversation back at camp? We really need to get back to Rhys… he was in a pretty bad way; and he's only gonna get worse the longer he's left on his own." He said, his eyes flicking to the collar in Vaughn's hands as he grimaced. "Unless you're staying and putting that filthy thing back on instea-" he sneered, trailing off when Vaughn yelped and dropped the collar, before slotting his hand into Tim's eagerly. "Hmm… good boy." Tim huffed, scenting at Vaughn's throat when he offered it briefly, before tugging at his hand and leading him back upstairs and out of the bungalow window. Yaou ready to run?” He asked, raising a brow as his fingers laced with Vaughn’s and he tugged at his hand encouragingly.

Vaughn hummed, nodding as he began to trot carefully along the alley, until Tim tugged at his hand and dragged him forward into a rapid sprint. “ _Whoa_!” Vaughn yelped, struggling briefly to keep up, before finding his footing and beginning to keep pace beside the Alpha. “I thought we were supposed to be careful around town!” He said as they ran, frowning over at Tim as he huffed and half shrugged his shoulder as he dodged around a trash can. 

“What’s more important to you at this point?” He asked, looking over at Vaughn intently as he leaped over a low fence, Vaughn barely making the jump himself when so unprepared for the surprise launch. “Not being seen by this town full of assholes, or getting back to Rhys so he stops hurting?” He asked, raising a brow as Vaughn blanched.

“H-hurting?” He yelped, shaking his head as he drew in a deep breath and released Tim’s hand, pouring more speed into his legs and weaved between the trees at the edge of the forest. “What do you-?”

“Once we bond you, then you can feel it for yourself…” Tim interrupted, chuffing proudly when Vaughn spurred himself to go faster, choosing his mate over being cautious of being seen by Humans. “You’ll understand it better then… I’d only cock it up if I tried to explain it to you.” He huffed, shaking his head regretfully as he followed Vaughn, the pair of them charging through the trees as the moon began to rise, the familiar warmth spreading within Vaughn’s chest at the freedom and power which the moon awarded him; while also tinged with the hopeful excitement of Tim’s promise. "Anyway, Rhys almost managed to get my damn knot earlier… chances are he isn't ever gonna shut up about knotting now so..." Tim added as an afterthought, causing Vaughn to blush at the sudden lewd image the Alpha's off hand comment inspired in his mind; his stomach turning with a longing which he didn't understand, but didn't care to. Only knowing that as soon as Tim mentioned it, he wanted it just as much as Rhys; and he was happy to leave the town for good if it meant they could both get what they wanted.

Vaughn ran through the trees rapidly, his thoughts turning towards Rhys as his concern for the other Omega began to rise. “ _You can run with us,”_ he murmured, recalling the mantra which he had come to associate with the pack, thanks to his best friend turned lover. “ _We've got everything you need,”_ He hummed thoughtfully, his cheeks warming as he thought of the next step he wished to take with his lovers; which Tim had unsubtly hinted at being a certainty, rather than a mere hope. “ _Run with us,”_ he sighed, smiling as he looked up at the moon and leaped onto a low tree branch, racing along with Tim laughing just behind him. “ _We are free.”_ He called back at Tim, who snorted and rolled his eyes, muttering about his Omega’s and their idiocy. “ _Come with us,”_ Vaughn murmured, hopping lightly between branches as he twirled and faced forward again. “ _I see passion in your eyes,”_ he said, glancing across at Tim with a shy grin as the Alpha caught up to him and snatched up his hand, their eyes sharing an unspoken message as they ran together. “ _Run with us.”_ He whispered, biting his lip and ignoring the fierce burning of his cheeks as he looked forward; a surprised whine escaping his throat as he caught the hint of distressed Omega.

“Yeah, that’s him…” Tim sighed, his eyes lowering to the ground guiltily. Vaughn squeezed Tim’s fingers, drawing his eyes back to himself as he forced a smile. 

“It was both of us that hurt him,” he said as he squeezed Tim’s fingers again reassuringly, tugging him closer so they ran side by side. “It’ll be both of us that fixes him.” He said, biting his lip and smiling shyly but happily, when Tim’s chest rumbled with approval. Vaughn nodded, his heart lightening with hope even as his concern for Rhys prickled at his nerves. He was about to turn and head back to camp, when Tim tugged at his hand, dragging him around the edge of the camp boundaries toward the clearing where Vaughn had left Tim and Rhys. “... he didn’t go back?” Vaughn wondered aloud, his concern growing exponentially as he considered his lover alone and in such a state.

“Nah,” Tim replied, sighing with regret as he tipped his head towards the clearing where Rhys' scent grew stronger. “He’s pining and sulking... can’t you smell it?” He asked, raising a brow when Vaughn hummed in vague agreement and worried his lip between his teeth. You’ll be able to sense it better through a bond.” Tim added distractedly, not noticing Vaughn’s cheeks darken at the second reference to his potentially imminent bonding.

Finally the pair slowed to a jog, exchanging a concerned glance as they stepped through the edge of the trees to enter the clearing where Rhys remained by himself. “Rhys..?” Tim called as he entered the clearing, a displeased grumble leaving his throat as he approached his mate, who was curled into a despondent ball on the ground; still naked as he stared at the dirt ground miserably. “Aw c'mon baby, I told you to at least cover up… c'mon, you can't just-" he sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration before dropping to his knees beside Rhys and lacing their fingers together. "Please, Rhys…you have to get up, 'kay?" He pleaded, tugging at his hand gently as Rhys sighed wearily.

The redhead raised his head tiredly, blinking in slow surprise as he realised his Alpha had returned to him without his notice. "Tim?" He mumbled, lifting their linked hands and nuzzling them dispassionately. "I'm sorry… it's not you, I promise. Please, don't feel so bad…" he said tiredly, shaking his head as he rolled onto his back.

"Can't exactly help it when you're so damn miserable yourself…" Tim scoffed, shaking his head as he lifted Rhys to sit cradled in his lap, nuzzling at his hairline worriedly. "C'mon… you haven't been this dramatic since Jack died." He tried to tease, though his unease was clear in his tense shoulders, his clear eyes clouded with grief as he looked back at Vaughn pleadingly.

"I never should've bonded Jack…" Rhys said tiredly, swallowing thickly as he gazed up at Tim guiltily. "He wouldn't have died if not for me… you wouldn't have lost him." He said, sniffing as his expression twisted with grief. "And now… now I made Vaughn feel unwelcome too, be-because I couldn't… because I-I'm just a stupid… h-horny O-Omega...:" he choked, his fingers curling into Tim's Timet as he whined and tried to fight back tears of grief and pain.

"Hey, that is _not_ true!" Tim defended firmly, growling at his mate irritably. "Jack _loved_ you, Rhys; loved us _all_ ... he died as much for me and the rest of the pack, as he did for _you_." He said, shaking Rhys gently as the Omega buried his face in Tim's chest. "C'mon, please… don't do this to yourself…" Tim pleaded, nuzzling the redhead gently. "I hate feeling like I can't help you…" the Alpha sighed, shaking his head in slow regret. "So I brought someone along to help, okay?" He said, glancing again at Vaughn, who finally jerked from his frozen disbelief and approached cautiously.

"I really, _really_ don't like that you're blaming yourself for my being an idiot." He said quietly, forcing a small smile when Rhys' head jerked up from Tim's chest, his tearful eyes wide with surprise. "What are you looking so surprised for? What does an Alpha do when their Omega is all depressed and inconsolable?" He asked, glancing at Tim as his cheeks warmed, his heart lightening with a giddy flutter, as he smiled more naturally and looked back at Rhys. "They go and find their _other_ Omega; so that they can fix them." He asked, chuckling quietly when Rhys began to whine and tremble with clear excitement, looking between Tim and Vaughn urgently. " _Both_ of them." He confirmed, as Rhys yelped and threw himself toward Vaughn, crying as Vaughn laughed and folded his arms around him; an awkward feat when the Omega was still ensconced within Tim's arms as well.

"I'm sorry!" Rhys babbled, sniffing at Vaughn's throat as he peppered the area with urgent licks and kisses, before turning toward Tim and kissing him deeply. "I- I-" he whimpered, overwhelmed as he smothered himself in Tim and Vaughn's scents; rubbing against them both alternately as he whined and urged them all closer together, needing comfort and consoling from them both.

"Hey, guess what? This'll make you laugh…" Tim said, an amused rumble in his chest as he mouthed at Rhys' bonding gland briefly, his eyes on Vaughn as Rhys shivered blissfully; his cheeks darkening as he nodded, before he turned to offer his own shyly. "This little nerd as been feeling jealous because we didn't offer to bond him." He snickered, scenting Vaughn's bonding gland carefully, before dragging a long, teasing lick over the area.

Rhys whined, turning to Vaughn urgently for confirmation as the other Omega shivered and sighed at the pleasure which pulsed through him. "Y-you…" he breathed, his hand finding Vaughn's and squeezing tightly as his wide eyes searched the other Omega's desperately. "You _want_ us to..?" He asked, licking his lips as he shifted his weight, half turning back to Tim for a brief and intense kiss, before returning his rapt attention to Vaughn for his answer.

Vaughn drew in a deep breath, looking over at Tim as he grinned warmly and took up his other hand, squeezing as he nodded in encouragement. "... I do." He finally said, laughing when Rhys immediately began to squirm and whine restlessly, licking and kissing at any part of Vaughn or Tim which he could reach. "Hey! No licking!" He snickered, attempting to fend off Rhys' exuberant affection. "Rhys!" He laughed, biting his lip as the redhead buried his face against the side of Vaughn's throat and lathered the area with a plethora of eager kisses and nips. He sighed, shivering as warmth spread through his gut, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheek as Rhys' frantic affection finally slowed; but yet grew more determined, while Tim's arm curled around his waist and drew him closer.

"Hey, Rhysie…" the Alpha murmured, nosing at Vaughn's bonding gland gently, the Omega gasping at the rush of pleasure which shot through him and flooded his groin with heat. "I think we better get this pasky bond sorted tonight… can't have this idiot running out on us, thinking we don't want him again, right?" He said conversationally, licking tentatively at the sensitive gland, while his fingers simultaneously massaged over Rhys' gland.

" _Mmm_..!" Rhys' incoherent whine conveyed enough excitement and eagerness that Vaughn would have laughed, if his thoughts weren't so entirely scattered by the waves of pleasure which ululated through his body. "... knot-" he murmured between noisy kisses to Vaughn's throat and shoulder, his fingers trailing behind his neck to gently probe at Vaughn's bonding gland between Tim's soft licks.

" _Aaah_ ..!" Vaughn moaned, his ass throbbing eagerly as he squirmed beneath his lovers combined attentions, overwhelmed by their obvious desire for him and wishing he could reciprocate to show them how much he wanted them in return. " _Knot_ …" he panted in agreement, as Tim sighed in resignation, despite the deep rumble which emanated from his chest.

"God, and here I thought it was bad when I only had _one_ of you begging for a knot…" he huffed fondly, nuzzling Vaughn's cheek and ghosting his lips across his jaw. "You really think you're up for a knot; first time and all?" He whispered in Vaughn's ear, chuckling darkly when the Omega nodded eagerly. "Guess I walked into that one, huh?" He mused playfully, nipping Vaughn's ear affectionately.

"It'll be perfect for the bond…" Rhys panted breathlessly, crawling into Vaughn's lap as he bit his lip and rocked his hard dick into the other Omega's hip. "Please, baby… please?" He whined, kissing Tim passionately over Vaughn's shoulder and moaning in pleasant surprise when Vaughn's warm mouth settled over his nipple. "Ah! _Oohhh_ … oh god-" he gasped, moaning and rolling his hips eagerly as his scent warmed, growing thicker as his ass began to leak slick.

Vaughn moaned softly, flicking his tongue over Rhys' nipple as he curled one hand around his weeping dick, smearing his thumb through the beaded pre cum and dragging it down the shaft of Rhys' cock. He purred as Rhys began to claw at his shirt, shredding the sleeves entirely as he tried to yank it off him without unbuttoning it. He felt the familiar prickle which usually sparked his doubt and jealousy; but instead, Vaughn welcomed it, gasping when he felt slick begin to build and coat the walls of his ass.

"Holy shit-" Tim panted, growling as he caught Rhys and Vaughn's scents blending together, his cock rapidly swelling against Vaughn's ass as his fingers abruptly fell to his jeans and began to work them open. "Fuck… Roland's gonna kill me tomorrow-" he hissed, panting heavily as he freed Vaughn's cock from his trousers and slid his hand further with a groan, his finger probing at Vaughn's slick entrance tenderly.

"Tim!" Rhys whined, scowling at his mate irritably. "Stop talking about _Roland_ when we're about to fuck!" He scolded, chuffing at his mate as Vaughn blinked and shook his head, too overwhelmed by the new sensations which flooded his body to care _what_ Tim was talking about.

Vaughn whined as Rhys pulled away from his lap, distressed at the thought of losing his lover, until the redhead knelt before him and began to help him out of his trousers. "Rhys…" he breathed, as the other Omega leaned forward to lick at the head of his newly exposed cock, moaning as he caught sight of Tim eagerly licking the finger he'd probed his slick ass with. "Tim..!" He gasped, his eyes half-lided as Rhys abandoned his efforts to help Vaughn shed his clothing and instead sucked his dick into his mouth, whining urgently as his warm mouth worked over the hard shaft eagerly. " _Oh_!" Vaughn felt warmth rush through him, spiralling through his gut like a tight coil of fire and pooling in his ass; where he felt slick begin to leak from him in floods.

"Shit… Rhys, you keep that up and you're gonna have a _very_ short night." Tim admonished, growling at the Omega in frustration as Rhys pulled away from Vaughn's dick with a guilty whine, his head bowed submissively as he turned towards Tim. "C'mere." Tim barked roughly, tugging Rhys toward him and capturing his lips for a deep and passionate kiss, his teeth nipping at Rhys' lower lip in rebuke for his overexcitement. "Now… behave yourself; and let me see Vaughn suck _you_ , while I get out of these... _goddamn_ jeans." Tim demanded thickly, tipping his head towards Vaughn as Rhys whined and kissed Tim's cheek eagerly, before moving back towards Vaughn.

"Rhys…" the Omega moaned, reaching for him as Rhys smiled and leaned forward to meet him in a surprisingly sweet kiss. "C-can I..?" Vaughn murmured, his hand clutching at Rhys' hips as he knelt before him, barely aware of Tim cursing in the background as he tried to shed his clothes without ripping them. Rhys purred loudly in reply, his lips retreating from Vaughn's as he raised himself on his knees and bit his lip, his hand threading itself into Vaughn's shaggy hair.

"Any time you like, baby…" Rhys breathed, moaning as Vaughn lowered his eyes and flicked his tongue across the head of Rhys' dick. "Oh… Vaughn-" he whined softly, biting his lip and moaning in encouragement as Vaughn ran his tongue along his hard shaft, before wrapping his lips around the head and sucking teasingly. " _Oooh!"_ Rhys' moans increased in volume as Vaughn grew bolder, slowly sucking him deeper into his mouth before drawing back again; repeating the process with various changes to his method, occasionally grazing his teeth along the hard shaft and causing Rhys to cry out in pleasant surprise.

Vaughn hummed around Rhys' cock, his fingers crawling slowly around to the redhead's ass and beginning to probe at his ass, marvelling at the copious amount of slick which he'd leaked. " _Mmm-!"_ He moaned, as he paused in sucking Rhys' cock, instead licking the redhead's slick from his finger and panting heavily at the rush of longing and desire which flooded him at the new but arousing taste.

"Shit… both of you are gonna end up with no goddamn knot at all, at this rate." Tim hissed, his clear eyes burning as Vaughn glanced over, raising a brow innocently as he returned his lips to Rhys' cock and sucked him into his mouth slowly. "Godammit… teases, the fucking pair of you!" The Alpha growled, stalking over with a frustrated scowl, his erection waving with every step he took without the cage of his clothing to confine it. "You've got no right," he muttered, crouching down and catching Vaughn's cheek in his palm, drawing him away from Rhys' cock and ignoring his displeased whine; before claiming his lips in a demanding and hungry kiss, his teeth tugging plafully at Vaughn's lower lip as he finally released him. "... being so goddamn gorgeous; the fucking _both_ of ya." He snarked, sighing and relaxing as he straightened, allowing Rhys to turn his head and nuzzle at Tim's hip.

" _Tiiiiim..!"_ Rhys whined pleadingly, mouthing at the Alpha's cock urgently as Vaughn returned his own mouth to Rhys' dick. "Please, Tim..?" He murmured, dragging his tongue slowly along the underside of Tim's cock and purring at the hiss of pleasure Tim released, the Alpha's hand threading into his short hair and tugging sharply. " _Nooo_ , no; please… Tim-" Rhys whined needily, arching as Tim's other hand laced itself into Vaughn's hair and tugged him away from Rhys' dick.

"Christ, what the hell've I let myself in for?" Tim groused, shaking his head ruefully. "Bad enough having one horny Omega and barely being able to say no… I have no fucking chance with both of you; so just do as you're damn well told at least." He barked roughly, soothing his scolding words by stoking his Omega's cheeks gently. "Rhys… turn around." He said, tipping his head toward Rhys and chuckling as he yelped and spun around quick enough to almost make Vaughn dizzy, blinking in surprise at the ass which was suddenly staring him in the face. "Vaughn," Tim murmured, hissing as Vaughn turned towards him and licked at the head of his weeping cock without thinking. "Fucking hell! You're gonna be the death of me…" Tim sighed, shaking his head as he cupped Vaughn's jaw to keep him from sucking his dick. "Uh uh, not this time, Babe… you're gonna fuck Rhys' greedy little ass for me, okay? Ànd when he's about to cum; you're gonna bite, right here…" he explained quickly, panting heavily as he stroked his finger over the side of Rhys' bonding gland which was now unmarked; the marks of the Alpha which had previously claimed him long since faded. "Omega's don't usually get in on the biting, but I'm gonna have you both do it to each other, right? Only way you can truly know I'm never favouring one of you… plus, I think we both miss having a third in the bond." He added quietly, his eyes on Rhys as he shivered and whined needily beneath his gentle touch. "C'mon, Vaughn..." he murmured, taking Vaughn's hand and pressing it gently to Rhys' bonding gland.

Vaughn swallowed thickly, his heart racing at the imminent realisation of his desires. "Oh…" he gasped, his fingers caressing the bonding gland gently as Tim stepped away, stroking his cock as he watched his Omega's intently. Vaughn relished Rhys' purr, his dick aching as he lowered his eyes to the Omega's ass before him, dropping instinctively to lick at the slick which had trailed down Rhys' inner thigh. Rhys gasped and whined needily, spurring Vaughn as he licked higher, his tongue probing at Rhys' slicked entrance hungrily as his ass warmed with a rising surge of intense desire; his own slick beginning to trail over his thigh from his ass, as he began to reluctantly kiss his way over Rhys' ass and along his back. "Rhys..?" He called softly, nuzzling at the back of the redheads neck, licking softly at his bonding gland as Rhys moaned and squirmed beneath him.

" _Yeeesss_ …" Rhys sighed, shivering beneath Vaughn's careful touches. "Please?" He pleaded, turning his head with his dark blue eyes half hooded and heavily clouded by lust and arousal. He whimpered as Vaughn leaned forward to kiss him deeply, his cock gliding between his slick covered ass cheeks as the other Omega rut against him slowly. " _Ah_..!" He gasped, his hand curling behind Vaughn's neck and pulling him closer, his fingers ghosting over Vaughn's bonding gland and causing him to moan hungrily, his hands falling to Rhys' hips as he rolled his hips back; breaking his lips free from the Omega's and lowering his eyes to his dick as he slowly urged the head over Rhys' entrance. 

" _Oohhh_ …" he sighed breathlessly, his heart in his throat as he bit his lip and teased Rhys' ass, guiding the head of his dick into his entrance slowly as his pulse raced wildly. Vaughn bit his lip hard, trying to ignore the urgent mutterings Rhys gave, urging him to move faster and harder than Vaughn thought wise; considering his desire to cherish his first and most intimate experience with his lovers. “Please shut up, Rhys… you’re gonna make me cum already.” He complained distractedly, ignoring Rhys' disapproving whine as he sank deeper into the Omega, moaning when his balls bounced lightly against Rhys'. “O- _oh…_ holy-!” he choked, panting roughly as his fingers curled into claws against Rhys' hips, his heart faltering briefly at the overwhelming warmth which hugged at his dick; suffusing him with a pleasure so deep, he nearly forgot his own name.

"Heh, you ain't seen nothin' yet…" Tim murmured in his ear, curling his arm around Vaughn's waist and draping his weight across the Omega's back, his chest rumbling with approval as he watched over Vaughn's shoulder; his clear eyes intently locked upon the sight of the noiret's cock sliding slowly back and forth in Rhys' ass. "You ready for _more_ , Vaughn..?" Tim drawled, groaning as he crowded closer to Vaughn and rut against his ass.

Vaughn gasped, his hips snapping forward and drawing a lewd cry from Rhys, his body wracked with stimulation from both the warm, slicked walls of Rhys' ass around his dick; and the firm press of Tim's cock against his own ass, a fresh wave of slick coating his own walls as Tim trailed his fingers over Vaughn's entrance, before lifting his fingers to his mouth. " _Mmmm!_ " Vaughn moaned, his thoughts clouding with pleasure as Tim growled behind him, the Alpha's dick rutting against Vaughn's ass; gliding through his slick as he sucked on his finger lewdly.

"Do you know," Tim demanded huskily, nipping at Vaughn's ear as he shivered and moaned, thrusting forward into Rhys slowly as he whined needily. "That you taste _so_ damn good," he muttered, his breath catching as the head of his dick pressed insistently against Vaughn's ass. "I could eat you out for _hours_... and still want more." He drawled lowly, growling as his fingers curled tightly into Vaughn's hip and shoulder, the Omega panting and moaning as he both rocked into Rhys and back against Tim, his breath exploding from him in a needy gasp when the Alpha began to press into him.

"Heh," Rhys snickered breathlessly, half glancing over his shoulder as he grinned smugly and reaching back to cover Tim's clawed fingers with his hand, silently encouraging them both. "Told you slick drives him crazy, _oh-"_ he gasped as Vaughn snapped his hips forward quickly, a needy whine in his throat as he panted and peered back at Tim pleadingly.

" _Please_ …" he huffed, nuzzling at Tim's jaw when he leaned forward, until Tim claimed his lips roughly, giving in to his Omega's demands and thrusting forward with a sharp snap of his hips. "Ah! _Ah! Ooh..!_ " Vaughn cried, purring at the fullness in his ass; though still restless as he rocked his hips back against Tim, before thrusting forward into Rhys. "R-Rhys-" he warned, his dick pulsing eagerly as he leaned forward over the redhead, licking at his bonding gland while his hand slid around to the other Omega's dick; covering Rhys' already roughly jerking hand with his own and dragging his thumb over the head of his weeping cock.

" _Ah!"_ Rhys moaned, baring his neck and offering the sensitive area to Vaughn. "Oh god, p-please-" he panted eagerly, his body tensing as Vaughn licked his lips, before beginning to lick and suck at Rhys' bonding gland in earnest. "Oh, _fuc-_ !" Rhys gasped, moaning as Vaughn dragged his teeth over the sensitive skin teasingly. " _Vaughn_!" Rhys warned, crying out with a needy whine as his ass squeezed tight around the noiret Omega's dick. 

Vaughn moaned as he sank his teeth into Rhys' bonding gland beside Tim's previous bite mark. His heart paused in his chest, before resuming with alarming haste as he was overcome by a rush of giddy emotions; Rhys' chest rumbling with a deep and satisfied purr to match the joyful bliss which Vaughn could feel blossoming through the hazy bond, riding the high of the other Omega's orgasm. He released his teeth with a deep moan, turning to look back at Tim dazedly when the Alpha thrust deep into him and struck his prostate firmly, overwhelming the Omega with a secondary onslaught of intense pleasure. "T-Tim…" he moaned pleadingly, blinking owlishly as he shivered and covered the Alpha's hand on his shoulder, drawing him closer so the Alpha was pressed snugly to his back; his cock gliding noisily through Vaughn's copiously leaking slick as he thrust into the Omega with increasingly rough and urgent motions. "Please… knot, _please_ , Tim…" Vaughn sighed, tilting his head forward to expose his binding gland to the Alpha.

"Omega's…" Tim growled, mouthing at the side of Vaughn's throat as the noiret whined with frustration; irritated by the Alpha's blatant teasing as well as the warmth of Rhys' ass leaving his dick. "So bloody _demanding_..." the Alpha growled, nipping Vaughn's shoulder playfully as he thrust deeper into him, moaning at the tight heat which encompassed him as the Omega hissed and moaned loudly; surprised by Rhys' mouth returning to his cock. "Thinking you're always gonna… get your own damn way…" Tim drawled, panting heavily as he trailed scratchy kisses along Vaughn's shoulder towards the back of his neck.

Vaughn moaned, his fingers threading into Rhys' hair as he looked down at him through heavily hooded eyes, his body aching as he rolled his hips and thrust carefully into Rhys' mouth; whining needily as the other Omega's content purr rumbled through his cock. " _Tiiiim_ -!" he pleaded, crying as his body demanded his Alpha's knot for satisfaction. Vaughn's heart thundered as Tim's lips settled over his bonding glad, licking and teasing the sensitive flesh as the Omega stared down at Rhys' dazed gaze, the brunet purring contently as he lazily sucked Vaughn's cock deep into his throat. "Oh… _ohhh, mmm-!_ " He gasped, overwhelmed as he felt Tim's knot begin to swell in his ass, his balls tightening as the Alpha's teeth sank into his bonding gland. Vaughn's entire world stopped for an intense heartbeat; before a tidal wave of euphoric bliss crashed through him.

" _Fuck_ -!" Tim growled against him, watching over Vaughn's shoulder as Rhys hummed and sucked Vaughn's cock through his orgasm, his purr increasing in volume as he watched his Alpha knot his lover. Tim moaned loudly in Vaughn's ear, licking at his bonding gland softly as Vaughn purred himself; the content thrum of Rhys' bliss gentle alongside Tim's rougher rumble in his chest, his own joy dwarfing both sensations as he felt his Alpha thrust deep into him for his own orgasm, his knot snug in Vaughn's ass to keep them locked together. "Rhys… c'mere," Tim ordered gruffly, reaching for him as Vaughn sagged into a boneless heap against him. The Alpha sighed at Rhys' petulant expression, sulking at being made to move when he felt so content where he was. "First off, share with Daddy." The Alpha hummed fondly, drawing the redhead into a deep, lazy kiss as Rhys forgave Tim's gruff order and purred beneath his touch. "Hmm, tastes good both ends then. Just like _you_ , huh?" Tim murmured a moment later, snickering at Rhys' blissful sigh and nod. "C'mon, before you fall asleep on me… you know what to do." He said, running his fingers over Vaughn's bonding gland softly and smirking at the shiver which ran through the blissed out Omega.

Rhys hummed, moving forward to lick at the area gently, before biting into the soft area beside Tim's bite mark; moaning needily as his bond with Vaughn was opened both ways. "Now…" Tim rumbled smugly, running his hand through Rhys' hair as he leaned forward and licked at the new bond on the back of his neck. "This isn't how this sort of thing usually works, but like I said… neither one of you can say I favour you this way; so you can't say I'm being greedy. We're all equal, yeah?" He explained, grinning as Rhys curled up against Vaughn; their content purrs intensifying as Tim shifted to lay down behind Vaughn and allow him to hold Rhys.

"Mmm…" Vaughn sighed blissfully, contentment and smugness radiating from him as he shifted slightly to tug at Tim's knot, earning himself an amused chuff and a fond nip to the shoulder from the Alpha, the bond thrumming pleasantly between them. "Knot Rhys next, Daddy?" He asked semi-innocently, grinning dopily when Rhys whined in agreement and kissed him softly, while Tim sighed and groaned quietly.

"Roland's gonna kill me tomorrow…" he grumbled, though for once Rhys didn't scold him; already sleeping contently in his Omega mates arms.

***~*~*~*~***

Twenty years passed moderately harmoniously, the pack leaving the town and setting themselves up in the wilderness, content in the time they spent away from Humans and the fear with which they ruled all Wolves. Vaughn grew more confident as time continued to pass them by, especially with the birth of his and Rhys' pups; much to Roland's consternation and Tim's smug pride. 

The pack had split briefly after Vaughn's bonding, Tannis and Roland choosing to stay for their careers; with Brick, Zane and Fiona choosing to stay to cause trouble among the Humans. As Wolf Hunters began to grow more devious in their determination to wipe out Wolves however, the five had decided after a decade, that their time among Humans was over for the immediate future; returning to the pack with enthusiasm and surprise, upon finding that Rhys and Vaughn had three children between them, with Jack being the eldest.

Tannis had been ecstatic to still have use of her medical skills, taking short jaunts back to civilisation with her Alpha on occasion to scavenge things which may help with later pregnancies; seeming to understand that now they'd successfully convinced Tim to knot them, neither Vaughn nor Rhys were willing to let him stop. Brick, Zane and Fiona were surprisingly good with children, despite not wanting any of their own or being interested in finding themselves mates, citing that 'Rhys and Vaughn can do the hard stuff; we'll just babysit sometimes'. Athena and Janey had decided to start their own family one day, though never seemed to feel the time was right for them; instead cooing over Rhys and Vaughn's offspring cheerfully and happily taking a turn watching them to allow the exhausted Omega's time to rest. Axton and Maya had a child of their own, a son which Rhys was most put out about; if only for the fact that Maya allowed her mate to name gim _Jeffrey_.

Vaughn found himself surprised by the sense of completion and love he felt grow, just since the night they'd bonded. His heart felt full, content and he was proud to call himself Wolf, to be lucky enough that he had such a loving, patient and supportive _pack_ to call his own. It was as he was playing hide and seek one day, with the redheaded five year old Gaige and the darker haired twin four year olds; Wilhelm and Nisha, that he came across something which made him pause in his tracks.

"Jack?" He called, drawing the attention of a dark haired Beta of nineteen, his long hair shaggy and swaying around his face as he begrudgingly lifted his head from the book he'd been reading and looked towards his Omega parent. "Can you watch your sister and the twins for me?" He asked, nuzzling his sons cheek as he sighed but grinned as he nodded and began to make exaggerated noises and motions as he began to hunt his younger family, his grin growing at the various giggles which gave them all away.

Vaughn hummed fondly, watching a moment longer before turning away and trotting toward the treeline, pausing to double check his appearance before moving away from the protective cover of the forest. _Rhys would've checked it out, if he weren't so deep in labour…_ he thought, eyeing the small town nestled a couple miles from the forest edge. Vaughn bit his lip uncertainly, closing his eyes to listen to the steady and content thrum of the bonds he shared; a quiet whine escaping him at Rhys' pain, though he knew the Omega lived for moment he'd see his newest addition to the pack. Tim's bond was a consistent rumble, concern, pride and joy colliding as they always did when one of his mates were in labour. "Mother henning again." He sighed, snickering as he imagined Rhys' increasingly short temper with the Alpha. _Well, they're both occupied right now, so… I should make sure it's not some Hunter's trap at least; so I can warn the kids._ He decided, setting off at a fast jog as he weaved naturally between trees and bushes.

 _Who would have thought we were so close to a town?_ He marvelled, eyeing the approaching buildings curiously when he found there seemed to be no Human presence. "But never assume things are what they seem…" he murmured quietly, remembering Tim's various lessons of safety with a small, fond grin. He paused beside a large tree, sufficiently hidden from view as he watched the small town for a time, finally approaching again when he deemed the place free of hidden Humans. He sniffed tentatively at the air, humming thoughtfully as he trotted down a small slope into the town, walking past buildings slowly as he hesitantly scented his way towards the source of his curiosity. "Hello?" He called softly, upon turning back to a cottage house for the third time, certain that the unfamiliar scent was coming from within. Vaughn frowned, glancing around uneasily, before slowly entering the cottage. _This is all so old and dusty… why are there no Humans here_? He wondered distractedly, moving cautiously through the cottage as he scented the air and followed his curious nose up the stairs and through to a back bedroom. 

"Hello..?" He called again, hesitating in a doorway and peeking around the room slowly. "I won't hurt you, whoever you are… I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He explained, cocking his head at the small shuffling he heard by the bed. "I can leave again, if you'd rather… but, is there anything I can do for you? We don't see many of our kind travelling alone." He said, stepping slowly into the room and crouching down on his knees, peering under the bed with a slow growing grin. "Oh! Well, hello…" he chuckled, as a small face looked back at him with wide icy blue eyes.

"... we?" A small voice asked, as Vaughn nodded slowly and carefully hid his mounting concern.

"Yes. My pack isn't far from here…" he said quietly, looking around the room again as the small face turned contemplative. "Why is this town empty?" He asked curiously, hoping to alleviate the other Wolf's nervousness and earn their trust.

"A plague made all the Humans sick…" the small voice replied, biting their lip as they shuffled backward and disappeared further into the shadows. "The ones who got away took my Mommy and Daddy with them… but, I hid here. They never came back." The voice trailed off to sniffles, as Vaughn whined in sympathy.

The Omega looked around the room again, noticing the cans in the corner which he assumed were what the runaway had been feeding themselves with. "Hey, you did the right thing. Your parents would tell you that, okay? They'll be happy, knowing you're free." Vaughn said, turning to look back under the bed and frowning when he saw it was empty beneath; until the small face appeared over the side of the bed. Vaughn tilted his head at the child he saw, scenting the air delicately to confirm she was in fact a Wolf and not sick or defective in some way; her purple skin striking as Vaughn frowned in confusion.

"It happened when the plague came… none of us got sick, but Mommy and Daddy turned purple, like me…" the child explained, biting her lip as Vaughn hummed thoughtfully. "Will the Humans come back for me..?" She asked nervously, casting her eyes to the floor guiltily.

Vaughn pushed to his feet, walking to the window and dragging a finger through the dust which had gathered. "No… I don't think so." He said, rubbing his dusty fingers on his jeans. He turned back to the strange child, gesturing to the bed and sitting at the edge when he was given permission. "What's your name?" He asked curiously, offering his hand for the child to scent.

"... Angel." The child finally admitted, tilting her head curiously as he gestured to Vaughn.

"My name is Vaughn." He said, smiling as he hesitated for a moment, before recalling a time which felt like another lifetime, when an unfamiliar brunet had made him an offer. "Well Angel… _You can run with us,"_ he said quietly, smiling as the child blinked in surprise. " _We've got everything you need,"_ he assured, his palm remaining open and extended to the small child. " _Run with us,"_ he said, his eyes sparkling as he recalled the first night he'd run with the pack; the exhilaration and joy which had never left him since. " _We are free."_ He promised, smiling as Angel bit her lip uncertainly. " _Come with us,"_ Vaughn repeated, his eyes meeting Angel's curious icy blue warmly. " _I see passion in your eyes,"_ he said, his fingers tickling Angel's chin when she hesitantly nuzzled closer. " _Run with us."_ Vaughn offered again, smiling as Angel slowly crept closer and hesitated, before curling her arms around Vaughn and resting her head on his shoulder.

Vaughn chuckled, collecting the child into his arms and carrying him from the house without a backward glance. He paused at the edge of the town, glancing back and considering briefly whether the pack might be interested in the idea of creating a home for themselves and their future offspring; a Wolf town where Humans would not approach for fear of whatever disease they'd released upon their own kind. He looked down at Angel and smiled, deciding to mention it but ultimately leave the decision to the others; while he introduced the newest member of their family to her new siblings, laughing at the thought of Rhys' smug face when he realised that Vaughn had followed in his footsteps. Saving another's life, with one which had in turn been saved by the Omega in every way; and the use of his ever applicable motto.

_"Run with us..."_

  
  



End file.
